Loving Him Was Red
by VenusInHerHair
Summary: "Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is nearly 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, non-con, mature themes. Rated: M. 17 . *Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*
1. Chapter 1

**Loving Him Was Red**

**A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Please review - even just one line or one word! I'll love you forever :p Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships!]

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.*

CHAPTER ONE

All was calm at 12 Grimmauld Place. Unusually drama-free. Worryingly so. There had been no catastrophes, death, or even destruction for at least a fortnight, and its current inhabitants were relaxed, if not a little wary, suspecting that something must be coming - there was always something, or so it seemed.

It was the third week of August, and the ancestral house was full; the Weasley clan had been staying there that summer, still rebuilding their beloved Burrow as they were, and, as usual, Hermione and Harry were spending the long days of summer with them. Sirius had joined them a couple of weeks ago, and Harry was enjoying his godfather's company in such a trouble-free atmosphere.

It was a morning like any other when the letter came. Remus and Tonks had joined the extended 'family' for a casual lunch in the long kitchen at Grimmauld Place, which Molly Weasley had been fussing over all morning, assisted by Ginny and Hermione. She had finally managed to get everyone seated when a light grey owl swooped into the kitchen, making the poor woman jump, and very nearly knock over the pan of Sauce Béchamel.

It hovered for a moment or two, apparently deciding on whom the letter should be delivered to, before finally settling on Sirius, and depositing the official-looking parchment on his place mat, flying out smoothly.

Sirius shrugged, wondering what the letter might possibly be about, and tore it open roughly before unfolding the crisp parchment and scanning the first few lines.

Hermione looked up from serving boiled potatoes to Tonks and saw the color drain from his face. Sweeping her eyes across the room, it seemed no one else had noticed, having gone back to chatting or beginning to eat.

"Is everything alright, Sirius?" she asked cautiously as she drew nearer to him. He gave no response, appearing not even to have heard her.

He rose suddenly, his chair making a painful noise as it scraped over the wooden floor.

"Moony," he snapped, before striding from the room, not even bothering to check that Remus was following.

The table jumped as Sirius slammed the kitchen door behind Remus, and Mrs Weasley fumed, the start of her meal having been further postponed. "How rude," she muttered under her breath, and Ginny rubbed her shoulder affectionately, shooting a grimace at Hermione, who raised an eyebrow back.

The table fell silent as they tried to listen in to the shouting coming from the Dining Room. Sirius' voice was distinctive:

"They've only gone and done it, Moony, the bastards!" he swore, and there was a pause, presumably where Remus tried to calm his friend.

"I will not calm down..." another pause, "I'm sure they can bloody hear me, they'll have to know soon enough as it is...". The intrigued and concerned eavesdroppers then heard Moony:

"Padfoot, tell me, what exactly does that letter say?!"

Sirius sighed audibly before answering, his infuriated tone indicating that he was reading aloud from the letter:

"_The Ministry of Magic wishes to inform you, Resident, of a new law which has recently been passed concerning Magical Marriages. Due to the low birth rate of Pure or Half-Blood wizards and witches, the Ministry was compelled to consider possibilities to increase these important statistics. After much thought, we came to a decision. _

"_Henceforth, from this day onwards, all Magical persons between the ages of 16 and 45 will be paired up, as the Ministry in its wisdom sees fit, and will be given a two-week period in which to marry. (Young wizards and witches, please note that the deadline for your nuptials will be September 1st, so as to avoid disrupting the school term with weddings). _

"_Resident, please find below the pairings concerning those Magical persons believed to be currently residing at your address. Please note, having read this letter, it has now become your legal obligation to ensure that these unions are completed before the appropriate deadlines. _

_Congratulations on your engagement(s)!_

"_Regards,_

_The Ministry of Magic"_

A silence fell in the kitchen as well as the Dining Room, punctuated only be a couple of nervous gulps and shuffling at the long table, as those seated glanced around at each other, mentally calculating who would be affected by this new law.

"Read the pairings, Padfoot," Remus commanded calmly from the next room. Still there was silence. After what seemed like an eternity, Sirius' deep voice began reciting the names printed:

"Mr George Weasley will marry Miss Cho Chang forthwith.

"Mr Ronald Weasley will marry Miss Astoria Greengrass forthwith

"Miss Ginevra Weasley will marry Mr Neville Longbottom forthwith.

"Mr Sirius Black will marry Miss Hermione Granger forthwith.

"Mr Harry Potter will marry Miss Padma Patil forthwith."

Sirius finished reading the list. Inevitably, anger arose in the kitchen. George and Harry sat at the end of the table where they had been involved in a fierce match of Wizard Chess in utter shock. Ron stared at Hermione, mouth opening and closing as if he might say something, although he never found the words. Ginny turned to her mother, who cradled her head on her shoulder as Ginny cried. Arthur rose and banged his fist on the table in anger, shouting at the Ministry as if they might hear him and answer back. Tonks held her extended belly and watched the anguish around the table, shocked into speechlessness.

Hermione felt lost. From her position nearest the door, she could just about make out Sirius' angry rantings over Arthur's.

"What the fuck do those idiots think they're playing at, matchmaking us all like we're their's to control? We won this war for them, and how do they thank us? This is ludicrous, Moony, but I'm telling you, they'll be worse to come if we fight them. I know how those power-hungry buffoons operate. But, seriously?!" He lowered his voice somewhat, but not enough that Hermione couldn't make out his last line: "I can't marry _Hermione"._

Hermione stood abruptly, and fled from the room, past the Dining Room and up the creaky stairs to the room she shared with Ginny. Sirius watched her pass and screwed his eyes shut, banging his head against the wall in frustration. He'd hurt her already. His Bride-To-Be. Fantastic.

When Sirius returned to the kitchen, Tonks confronted him, jabbing her finger at his chest.

"Do you realize that these walls are not sound-proof?" she demanded, gesturing at the chaos surrounding her. "Notice anyone missing, Padfoot? You're new wife, perhaps, who just heard you proclaim that you don't want to marry her?!" She shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm herself, feeling the child kicking in her belly. "I'm sorry, Sirius, I know this is not your fault, and it's hard on you too, but Hermione's just a child - the girl's seventeen. She really seems to have drawn the short straw here - no offense, Sirius".

Sirius ran a hand through his wavy hair, letting out a deep sigh of regret. "I'll go to her," he answered, and turned heel again to follow Hermione up the stairs.

Hermione had taken refuge under the quilt of her single bed, and was sobbing uncontrollably when Sirius knocked tentatively on the door.

[Ok, I know I'm already in the middle of a Hermione/Sirius marriage law fic, but I stumbled across this in my documents and wanted to post it! So here it is! :) I'll still continue with the other one...Please review - even just one line or one word! I'll love you forever :p Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships! Thanks for reading x]


	2. Chapter 2

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Please review - even just one line or one word! Thanks so much for reviewing Chapter One :) Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships!]

***AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.***

CHAPTER TWO

"Hermione?" Sirius said cautiously, taking a furtive step into the room and shutting the door quietly behind him. "Can we talk?" Hermione made no move to reply, pulling the quilt further up under her chin and sniffling pitifully. Sirius couldn't have felt worse. His heart was still thumping fast from the adrenaline of his anger at the Ministry, but now it went out to the young women crying before him. _Because_ of him.

"Please will you go away?" Hermione asked after a minute had elapsed of pained silence, her voice heavy with emotion and muffled slightly by the blanket.

Sirius sighed. "No," he replied, and walked defeatedly towards the bed, perching on the edge when he reached it and letting out a deep sigh. He placed his head in his hands momentarily, and rested his elbows on his knees, his chin coming to sit in his hand as he ran the other through his hair agitatedly.

Reluctantly, Hermione rolled over onto her side to face him, so that Sirius was perched in the space her legs would have been, if he knees had not been drawn up to her chest. She pulled a pillow under her head and set her gaze on him, as if waiting for him to elaborate.

Sirius felt her moving on the bed beside him, but couldn't face looking at her just yet - he didn't know what he could possibly say to the girl. Finally, he sat up straight and looked down at her, head tilted to the side in contemplation. Her eyes were rimmed red from her tears, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Even so, she really was beautiful, he realized, as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"I'm sorry, pet" he started sincerely, and Hermione exhaled deeply. "I handled the situation incredibly poorly - I should've thought about your - about everyone's - feelings before I got so worked up. I wasn't thinking. I was angry - I still am angry - at the Ministry. I was angry at the thought of them forcing all of us to marry people of their choosing. This is going to sound pathetic, but it's nothing personal. It really isn't".

Hermione nodded distractedly, before speaking up. "You said you couldn't marry me," Hermione muttered, her gaze lowered as she refused to meet his eye. "Did you mean it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Are you going to refuse?"

"Ah," Sirius cottoned on, and shook his head, almost sadly. "No, Hermione, I'm sorry. We can't refuse. The Ministry won't allow us to say no".

"It's not that..." Hermione said awkwardly, again refusing to meet his concerned gaze. "I know you didn't mean it literally. But I have to know - if it had been someone else, would you have felt the same way?" Sirius looked confused. "I mean...is it that you don't want to marry me, personally? Are you going to ask for someone else?"

"Of course not, Hermione! Look, pet, I never thought I'd marry anyone, truth be told". He sighed, and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "The thing is, I hate the fact that I'm tying you down like this - you're so young. You should be able to marry anyone you want! For Merlin's sake, you could have any man you choose - it's not as if you're not beautiful". Hermione blushed profusely, looking down at the quilt she was gripping. Sirius noticed her embarrassed expression. He shrugged, and said quietly, "Well, it's true, even if you don't realize it". Hermione smiled weakly down at the bed.

Sirius continued tersely: "You need to understand, Hermione, that the problem isn't that I don't want to marry you, personally. I just don't want to be forced to get married. Full stop".

"I get that," Hermione murmured, finally allowing her gaze to meet his. His eyes were full of concern and sincerity. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, the blanket falling over her legs. Sirius placed a reassuring hand on her knee, over the blanket.

"We can make this work, pet."

"I know."

The unlikely couple sat in comfortable silence for a minute or so, before Sirius rose. "I'd better go down and apologize," he said, heading for the door.

"Wait, Sirius," Hermione called after him. He turned immediately and smiled at her. "Erm...when will the wedding be?"

"Merlin, I hadn't thought of that".

"School starts on the 1st - it's the 24th already..." she trailed off.

"Do you have a preference?" Hermione shook her head. "I suppose sooner rather than later, and all that...I'll talk to Molly" he decided, and, on seeing that Hermione was now deep in thought, he quietly left the room, and headed to the kitchen, where high emotions could still be heard.

Hermione buried her head in her hands, and sighed. She could have done a lot worse than Sirius Black. She flopped back onto her pillows and tried to steady her breathing. They'd been right - something was coming, and now it was here.

[Please review - I know it's too short but I swear the next chapter will be up by tomorrow latest! Honestly, I'm doing it right now!]


	3. Chapter 3

Loving Him Was Red

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

By VenusInHerHair

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

[Please review - even just one line or one word! Thanks so much for reviewing Chapter Two :) Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships!]

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.*

CHAPTER THREE

The date was set for Hermione and Sirius for the 27th August, which fell on a Saturday, before the Hogwarts term began on the Thursday of the following week. After an initial sense of despair had subsided, Molly Weasley had resolved herself to make the best of the situation her family and loved ones had found themselves in, and set about the mammoth task of planning five weddings within a week, with one falling everyday from the 27th to the 31st.

12 Grimmauld Place was abuzz with activity; Cho Chang and her parents had taken to apparating in for dinner, so as to get to know their soon-to-be family-in-law better, although George and Cho didn't appear to be communicating enough for either Molly or Mr and Mrs Chang's liking, and the sets of parents were forever trying to get them alone together to talk. The Greengrass family had remained cold towards the Weasley's, but had reluctantly set a date, and sent Ron an owl containing expensive dress robes in which he was to wed their little girl. Neville had come to stay, and, much to Molly's delight, spent most of his days sitting with Ginny by the fire, although what they were discussing was the source of much mystery in the household. Harry had been invited to stay with the Patil family, and although he'd put a brave face on it, Hermione and Ron could tell he wasn't thrilled with the thought, especially as the Patil parents spent many hours with Molly each day, negotiating ideas for the wedding, leaving Harry alone with Padma in the family home.

Hermione and Sirius, meanwhile, hardly saw one another in the days leading up to their wedding. Sirius was mysteriously absent for most of the days, and in the evenings he would kiss her on the cheek chastely before eating his dinner in his study, and she wouldn't see him again until he bade her goodnight on his way up to bed. Hermione wasn't overly upset over his absence, although she did repeatedly have to put the thought out of her mind that maybe he was avoiding her. She busied herself in helping Molly with the wedding plans for Ginny, who had always dreamed of a big white wedding, and generally getting some 'light' reading done before school started.

On the day before the wedding, Hermione's nerves finally caught up with her. Ginny had presented her with a beautifully crispy white wedding dress, and ordered her to try it on, and was waiting outside Hermione's room when she heard a strangled cry, and rushed in. Hermione had dropped to her knees in front of the mirror and was doubled over, heaving with sobs.

"Hermione!" Ginny rushed to her, and embraced her from the side, gently rocking her back and forth as she tried to hush her crying. "This isn't about the dress, is it?" she asked worriedly. Hermione shook her head.

"The dress is beautiful, Ginny. It's me. I'm not a bride. I can't make him happy. I can't get married! This is all wrong! Tomorrow I'm going to be Mrs Black. And I'll have to be a wife, and I don't want to be, Ginny. I want to go back to Hogwarts and study and get my NEWTs and have a career".

"You can do all that, Hermione - you'll just be married too. You're going to have it all" Ginny reassured, although she sounded half-hearted.

"It won't be the same," Hermione sniffled.

"No, it won't - but we're all in the same boat, 'Mione. Besides, after the War, it can't be that bad! It'll just be a little different, that's all".

Hermione nodded, and stood up with Ginny's help. When Ginny had smoothed the creases out of the dress, the two stood next to each other in the mirror. "Look at you," Ginny whispered, "How can you not make him happy?" Hermione smiled weakly at her best friend's reflection.

"How are you feeling about your wedding?" Hermione asked.

A look of bliss spread across the younger girl's face, and she smiled, her eyes glazing over as she thought about the question. "Oh Hermione, I can't wait. I never thought about Neville like that, you know, but in these last few days...I don't know, we've clicked. It feels so right". She turned to Hermione, and seemed to come back to reality. "It might take time, but once you spend some time with Sirius, you just might find the same thing". Hermione nodded, and hugged her friend tightly, happy for her success in love and praying that she and Sirius would, indeed, 'click' given time.

When Sirius returned that evening to Grimmauld Place, he found the inhabitants of the kitchen waiting for him, glasses raised to him in a toast as he came in. "To Sirius and Hermione" they chanted in unison. Sirius immediately looked to Hermione, who sure enough was smiling back at him, glass raised and one eyebrow raised. A sense of relief washed over him at seeing Hermione happy, and he took the proffered glass from Arthur Weasley and raised it to his extended family.

"Cheers," he said, and took a sip, a smile spread across his face for the first time in days.

Molly had outdone herself in dinner that night, a lavish feast which resembled one of Hogwarts', but without the help of a hundred house-elves to help prepare it.

Sirius put an arm around Hermione's shoulder as he sat down next to her, and she smiled up at him. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione paused before answering: "Ready. I tried on the dress today."

"And?"

"It's beautiful - I can't wait for you see it. How are you feeling?"

"Ready." He smiled. "It doesn't quite seem real, all this, does it?"

"It's surreal," Hermione agreed, taking a sip of her drink. Sirius peered into her glass.

"Hermione Jean Granger, is that Firewhiskey?" he asked incredulously, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't tell Molly," Hermione whispered back. "I thought I'd treat myself, tonight of all nights. I'm becoming quite the rebel, drinking underage!". She cocked an eyebrow at him, smirking.

"My bride to be, breaking the law already!" Sirius chuckled, then seemed to somber at the thought. "Merlin, I keep forgetting how young you are".

Hermione was about to reply, when they were interrupted by Ginny passing the salad to Sirius, and the conversation quickly turned to the weddings which were to follow in the coming week.

"Wakey wakey, Miss Granger!" Hermione groaned and opened her eyes, squinting as Ginny threw back the thick curtains and the room flooded with light.

"Morning," she grumbled, trying to pull the cover over her eyes.

"Oh no you don't, Granger," Ginny laughed, tugging at the blanket so that Hermione was forced to sit up in bed.

"Why am I 'Granger' all of a sudden?"

"Because this time tomorrow you'll well and truly be a Black - time's running out for me to call you Granger - Granger!"

"Oh Merlin" Hermione was suddenly wide awake as she remembered the significance of the day.

"I'm going to pretend not to notice that you appear to have forgotten your wedding day," Ginny giggled, bustling around the bed to the wardrobe, where she'd stored Hermione's dress. "I've put your breakfast on the dresser, then we'll get you dressed. Did Mum tell you - the Ministry official is getting here at one? That gives us," she paused to glance at her watch, "exactly four hours fifty-two minutes. Now, get up!"

Hermione took a deep calming breath, stretching her arms behind her back, before letting Ginny take over and get her ready for her big day.

At precisely fifteen minutes past one, Hermione stood at the end of a white-stone pathway created by the Weasley's as part of Molly's vision, and waited for her bridesmaid, Ginny, to reach the top of the aisle, before starting what felt like the longest walk of her life towards Sirius.

Lacking an actual parent to walk her down the aisle, Hermione had improvised, and was accompanied by Remus on one arm and Arthur Weasley on the other.

Sirius stood nervously at the front, facing the Ministry Official, who was tapping his foot impatiently, much to Sirius' annoyance. He could at least pretend to be polite! When the music started, he took a deep breath, and turned to watch his bride walk up the aisle. Any feelings of annoyance at the Official vanished at the sight of her, walking elegantly towards him, looking like the cover of one of those glossy Muggle Bridal magazines. "Wow," Sirius though, his heart beating faster with every delicate step she took. "I really am lucky".

When she reached him, and had kissed both Arthur and Remus on the cheek, Sirius took her hands and squeezed them reassuringly, whispering "You look beautiful," although he knew it was cliched. Hermione smiled back at him, before the pair turned to face the Official, and the ceremony began.

The whole thing was quite a blur for Hermione, who was more focused on trying to stop her hands from shaking, and remembering to repeat after the Official when she was supposed to. Before she knew it, Sirius was gently placing an expensive golden band on her finger, and she was copying him, sliding a matching ring onto his hand. The Official cast a charm over them, and then the audience rose to their feet in applause, and Sirius was wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist and leaning down to kiss her, cupping her face with his other hand. And then they were walking back down the aisle, and Hermione Granger was Hermione Black. And it felt utterly surreal. For both of them.

The party was a huge success - Molly had worked hard and it had paid off. Not that Hermione particularly noticed, in her daze, but she did remember to politely thank Molly for all she'd done, prompting an outburst of heartfelt tears from the older woman, and a bear hug.

The afternoon had flown past, and now it was dusk, and Sirius led his young wife to the middle of the dance floor and placed his hands on her slight waist, and she relaxed in his arms as the band started, a gentle tune, which reminded her of summer days and happiness.

"You have stolen my heart," Sirius mimed along with the singer as he crooned, and leant in to kiss Hermione gently. "Are you alright, pet? It's been a long day".

"It's been lovely," Hermione said, and she meant it, because despite her daze, she'd had a wonderful time with her friends and loved ones.

"It's getting late," Sirius murmured, as the singer broke into the chorus of the song again:

"Too early to, say goodnight..."

Hermione nodded in assent to Sirius. "Are you ready to leave yet?"

Hermione realized what he was getting at. "Oh, erm...of course, I'm ready whenever you are".

"You're sure?" She nodded once again, and smiled up at him. "Don't be nervous, pet, you've no need to worry about tonight." Hermione looked down, and Sirius pulled her closer to him to finish the dance, before leading her around the marquee to say goodnight to the guests. Ginny hugged Hermione tightly at the exit.

"Are you OK?" she whispered as they hugged. Hermione's anxious expression said it all. "You'll be alright, don't worry about it. Sirius is a good guy. He'll...you'll be just fine." Hermione nodded noncommittally. "Tell me all about it," Ginny whispered, trying to lighten the mood, before Sirius was standing behind Hermione, ready to go.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Hermione called after Ginny, as Sirius took her hand and led her out into the summer evening.

Sirius inhaled deeply the summer air, before turning to his young wife, who was looking expectantly, if a little anxiously, up at him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, trying to smile bravely.

"I've got a little surprise for you, actually. Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, sounding braver than she felt, although she did trust the man implicitly.

Sirius reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a thin red silk scarf. "Close your eyes," he murmured, his voice low and husky.

"Why?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes widening.

"Because I'm your husband" he countered. Hermione took a deep breath in, before doing as she was told, and Sirius tied the scarf around her eyes, effectively blocking her vision. "Hold on tight, pet, we're going to apparate".

Hermione gripped Sirius' arm tightly, and was glad when her feet touched solid ground once again. It felt as if she was standing on gravel. "We're here" Sirius stated, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist as he pulled her close to him. "I'll take your blindfold off in a moment. Are you alright?" Hermione nodded. "I need to apologize to you, and you'll understand shortly why I'm doing it here and now. I'm sorry I kept disappearing in the run up to the wedding. You see, the truth is, I was searching for something - somewhere, to be more precise. I didn't want us to have to live in that awful Grimmauld Place for the rest of our lives, especially with the whole clan living there too. I've been property hunting, as it were. And it took it's time, but I finally found this place" Sirius reached behind Hermione's head and untied the scarf. "I really hope you like it".

Hermione blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the dusk, before focusing on the house in front of her. Less of a house, more of a manor, she thought, and she could feel her mouth fall open slightly. Sirius, who was watching her intently, smiled in relief. "You like it?"

Hermione gaped up at the impressive red brick Edwardian manor. "It's...incredible". She exhaled loudly. "I don't know what to say".

"Don't say anything. Come inside". His voice had changed, it was lower now and had taken on a seductive edge. Hermione's heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. Sirius took her hand and led her up the gravel drive, and in through the grand front door, flicking a switch to shed light on the entrance hall, which housed an impressive chandelier, hanging from the ceiling. Before she'd had a chance to look around her properly, Sirius was practically dragging her up the staircase to the second floor. He stopped abruptly outside a door set off from the balcony. "This is your room" he breathed, his eyes dark. "I'll be right next door, when you're ready to come to me". With that, he pulled Hermione close and kissed her deeply, before releasing her, panting slightly, and holding the door open for her to go into her new room. "I'll see you soon", he murmured, before shutting the door quietly behind her, leaving her to prepare herself.

[Please review - I really hope you liked this chapter - I actually think I might be falling in love with Sirius Black right now! 3 In case anyone was wondering, the song I imaged them dancing to was Dashboard Confessional's "Stolen" - one of my favourite songs. Why not have a listen...?]


	4. Chapter 4

Loving Him Was Red

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

By VenusInHerHair

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

[Please review - even just one line or one word! Thanks so much for reading Chapter Three :) Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships! And, yes, the title is from the Taylor Swift song :p]

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.*

CHAPTER FOUR

Hermione leant against the closed door behind and tried to catch her breath, before reaching up to flick the light switch to her left.

Her room was beautifully decorated, designed in white and cream, with an oak bookcase lining one wall, and a door in one corner which she presumed led to an adjoining bathroom. There was a comfy looking arm chair next to a tall, old fashioned lamp, where she envisioned herself curling up in the evenings to read. That was a thought - where would she live in term time? Hermione made a mental note to ask Sirius this, but right now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Hermione murmured to herself, as she headed for the king sized bed standing in the middle of the room. As she drew closer, she saw that a little white negligee and silk robe had been laid out for her - she presumed by Sirius, until she saw a small handwritten note:

"Mrs Black,

Just a little wedding present from me - good luck! Remember to tell me every little detail tomorrow!

love,

Ginny

x"

Hermione couldn't help but smile at her friend's forethought, and reached behind her to undo the fastenings on her wedding dress. Catching a glimpse of herself as she undressed in the floor length mirror, she noticed the faint flush on her cheeks.

Once she had wriggled out of the gown, Hermione headed into the en suite, aware of the fact that Sirius was waiting for her next door. She quickly brushed her teeth, the Muggle way because it comforted her, and then returned to the bedroom to don the lingerie Ginny had left for her, vaguely wondering how she had got it there.

Taking one last look in the mirror, and a deep calming breath, Hermione slipped her arms into the silk robe, trying to ignore the fact that she was shaking slightly, and headed next door, knocking tentatively on the door of Sirius' room.

Sirius opened it almost immediately, his eyes darkening as he took in the sight of Hermione before him, her feet bare, her hair down, dressed in a creamy silk gown. He had unbuttoned his shirt, and it was hanging down, untucked from his trousers. Hermione tried to ignore the scars and marks on his muscly chest.

"Come in," he muttered, voice low, stepping aside to let her pass, before slamming the door and catching her arm, and throwing her against it, taking her rather by surprise. Pinning her arms by her side, Sirius kissed her passionately. Despite his almost animal fervor, Hermione could feel him restraining himself so as not to hurt or frighten her, and her trust never wavered.

"Is this your first time?" he asked when they stopped for breath, his dark eyes searching hers. She nodded, quickly looking down, and clearly embarrassed. Sirius let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. "I'm glad," he said, cupping her chin gently and tilting her face so that he could nibble at her neck. She moaned slightly despite herself, and Sirius could feel himself growing harder. When he took her hand to lead her over to the bed, he noticed that she was trembling slightly, although she was trying to hide it. His eyes softened.

"It's alright, pet," he said, stopping a couple of meters from his bed, and changing direction so that they were heading towards the sofa and fireplace area at the foot of it. "Just come over here, we'll have a drink, first things first". He motioned for her to sit down, and she did so gladly, watching him under her eye lashes as he poured two glasses of champagne. He came and sat down next to her, handing her a glass: "Here's to us, Mrs Black", he said, raising a toast.

Hermione smiled weakly and took a sip, unsure of what to do next. She thought back to their easy banter of last night, and wished they could return to that state.

"Hermione, love," Sirius started, moving to angle himself towards her. "I know that this has come as a shock to both of us, but I just want you to know, that I'm really glad it was you I ended up with. I really am. And I do hope we can make the best of it. I want to make you happy. I can already see that you're going to make me happy".

Hermione felt unwanted tears spring in her eyes, and gulped in an attempt to hold them back. The emotions of the day had caught up with her, and now with Sirius' words, she was utterly overwhelmed. She couldn't stop herself. She put her glass down and threw her arms around Sirius' neck, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Hermione..." Sirius held her close, and although he hated seeing his wife cry, he was somewhat relieved that she felt safe and comfortable enough with him to cry like this. He patted her back and rubbed her gently as the tears began to stop.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled, swiping a hand over her eyes to wipe away the wetness.

"I've never been great with crying women," Sirius said, sounding almost helpless.

"I've never been great with topless men," Hermione replied, a hint of her old humour in her tone. Sirius barked a laugh, and smiled at her.

"Not even Ronald?" Sirius asked, immediately regretting the question, but he was relieved to see that Hermione took it well, and even giggled slightly.

"Ron and I never...well..." she trailed off. Sirius cocked his head to the side, interested to see where she was going with this. "Let's just say we never got very...far". She blushed slightly, and turned away to take a sip of her drink. Sirius couldn't help but smile. He wasn't all that surprised.

"How about you?" Hermione asked, turning back to him and clearly trying to change the topic. "You must have dealt with crying women before me?"

Now it was Sirius' turn to look uncomfortable. "I don't suppose you'll be overly surprised to hear that I've never been all that great with commitment - you must have heard the rumors?"

Hermione nodded. "But I never liked to pay them too much attention".

Sirius smiled fondly at her. "I've never been with the same woman for long enough to really have to deal with her crying, Hermione. Merlin, that sounds awful. And a fantastic example of what not to say to your beautiful young bride on your wedding night". He sighed, and shook his head in disbelief at himself.

"I like it that you're honest with me". Hermione said simply, her face betraying no signs of her feeling otherwise. She stopped to think for a moment, before continuing. "So, you've never been in a long-term relationship. And I was with Ron for just under three months, and all I've ever done with a man is kiss. And now, the two of us are married. Married!". She let out a little laugh. "When you stop to think about it, it's kind of hilarious, isn't it?"

Sirius had to laugh with her, at the pure absurdity of the situation. Here they were, the 36 year old ex-convict animagus, and the 17 year old brightest-witch-of-her-age, half dressed, in a huge house they would likely spend the rest of their lives in, drinking at the end of the bed they were supposed to be consummating their marriage on at that precise moment. And all they could do was slap their knees and throw back their heads and laugh. It felt good to laugh.

When their laughter had finally subsided and trailed off, the two looked at each other, both breathing heavily, and flushed from the exertion of their high spirits. Hermione gulped, remembering where she was, and didn't miss the almost unnoticeable sidewards glance Sirius gave to the bed. He looked at her carefully, taking in her attire and the way she was consciously holding the robe in place to cover as much of her as possible. He didn't miss the way she had suddenly become nervous again now that they had both finished their drinks. He knew she wasn't ready for this, and couldn't bear to push her and ultimately hurt her. Sighing inwardly, but content in knowing he was doing the right thing by his young wife, he said gently:

"It's alright, pet, I don't expect you to do anything tonight. There's no rush. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I can wait. I've been a single man for years, literally" he barked out a laugh. "I can wait another few days, weeks, months, however long it takes".

Hermione felt tears prick in her eyes from the sincerity in his voice alone. She took his hand and squeezed it slightly. "But you shouldn't have to wait," she answered. "The fact that you'd be willing to do that..." she trailed off, shaking her head in admiration. "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing," she swallowed, "but I trust you, Sirius Black". She leant forward bravely, and placed her hands flat on his hard chest as she kissed him. Sirius groaned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and at the same time moving to stand up, taking her with him.

He led her around to the side of the bed, never breaking the embrace, and Hermione only opened her eyes to look at him when they stopped for breath. Her heart was beating faster than she thought was healthy, and she was nervous beyond anything she'd experienced up until this point in her young life.

Sirius watched her closely, his eyes growing darker as his arousal kicked in. He was very pleasantly surprised at Hermione's reaction to him, but he was cautious of pushing her too far, aware that she might yet change her mind, and willing to let her go if she did.

Taking the chance while Hermione was holding her ground, Sirius tugged off his shirt, revealing toned shoulders and upper arms, marked with tattoos and scars here and there. Sirius caught her staring at him, wide eyed, and she quickly looked down in embarrassment.

"Are you really sure about this, pet?" he asked softly. "You can still say no, it's alright".

"I want to," Hermione murmured, although still she couldn't meet his eye.

Sirius stepped towards her, and gently slid her robe down over her slim shoulders, letting it drop to the ground, and leaving Hermione exposed in her lingerie. Sirius inhaled sharply as he took her in. She could feel his eyes boring into her, and had to fight the urge to cover her chest with her arms.

"Ginny..." she mumbled, as if an explanation was necessary. Sirius ignored her.

"You. Are. Stunning," he stated, his voice low and raw. When he stepped towards her again, running his hands down her arms, Hermione gasped at the feeling of him hard against her stomach. His large hands touched her waist gently, sliding down her body to her smooth thighs, before returning to her waist. He kissed her again, slipping a hand round her neck underneath her thick hair.

When he slid a hand down and gently tugged on her panties, Hermione had to bite her lip to stop the protest that threatened to escape from her lips. His other hand moved down the silk of her negligee and slowly he pulled them down, nudging Hermione's legs apart slightly so that they dropped to the floor. He helped her as she stepped out of them, blushing profusely, although Sirius hadn't taken his eyes off her face.

When Sirius tried to cup her breasts beneath the lingerie, Hermione pushed him away instinctively, before remembering herself. Her eyes flew up to meet his: "Sorry," she whispered, looking as if she might be close to tears again. He contemplated her with a sad smile, before reaching down to the bed and pulling back the top cover.

He guided her over to the bed, and she lay down quickly, glad that he wasn't looking at her lower area. When she looked like she was as comfortable as she was going to get, Sirius moved around to the other side of the bed, and removed his trousers before climbing in next to her, causing the mattress to sink slightly to accommodate his weight. Hermione tilted herself on her side so that she could face him, as Sirius edged closer to her. She could feel heat radiating off his sinewy body, fully aware of his proximity.

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with anxiety and uncertainty.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

Sirius leant down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Lay on your back, pet". She did what he asked, resting her head tentatively on the pillow, glancing up at the canopy of the bed. His hand moved to her inner thigh, making her start. "Open your legs". She spread her legs a little wider, shutting her eyes and breathing deeply. Sirius applied a gentle pressure until she was positioned for him to crawl between her open legs. He tried to hold his weight off her, but his lower half rested heavily on hers.

Sirius looked down at the young woman below him, his wife, eyes shut and breathing deeply. She had put all her trust in him, and he was determined to at least try give her some pleasure from this. He ran a hand down between their bodies, and, before Hermione could protest, touched her lightly between her legs. Her eyes flew open in shock, and she tried to push him off her, but he was too heavy by far. He caught her wrist in one hand and moved it to her side purposefully, indicating that he didn't plan to stop, while his finger persisted in her most intimate place.

"Let me do this", he urged, his breath washing over her ear. "Try to relax, pet", he commanded softly. Hermione did try to relax, but her muscles weren't having any of it, and she held herself rigidly as he caressed her, drawing in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. When she closed her eyes, Sirius knew that she was as relaxed as she was going to get that night, and removed his hand from her. His own breathing was now heavy, and he was more than ready to fully consummate the union. Still, he couldn't bring himself to overlook his bride's discomfort, although he resigned himself to the fact that this wouldn't necessarily be an overly pleasurable experience for her. But that would come with time, he reassured himself.

"Pull your knees up, pet," he soothed tenderly, hovering over her form in wait. She obeyed, although hesitantly, her eyes remaining shut. Her muscles were stiff in fearful anticipation of what she knew would come next, and sure enough, she soon felt his large length pushing against her. Unbidden, tears sprung to her eyes.

As he moved on top of her, Hermione could feel his hair brushing against her cheek. "Breathe," he encouraged, voice low and strained, and she tried but found herself taking erratic breaths as he moved further and further inside of her. She cried out involuntarily when he met the barrier of her virginity, and she felt a sharp pain deep within her.

Sirius took a moment to let her adjust to his size, although it seemed unlikely that'd she'd relax her muscles. He stroked her cheek in an attempt to comfort her, watching as she squirmed beneath him, tossing her head to the side as the pain continued. When he started to move again, she whimpered, but never asked him to stop.

Sirius lasted for a few minutes, although time felt distorted to Hermione, who was lost in the pain she was experiencing. Hermione felt Sirius stiffen, and his guttural cry marked the end of their first time, as he collapsed on top of her briefly, before pulling out slowly, although Hermione still winced.

He grunted as she rolled off her, and threw an arm over his face as he let out a long breath. Hermione took the chance of him not looking to reach forward and pull the cover over her, hiding beneath it. She lay still, wondering what she ought to do now. Before too long, Sirius turned and propped himself onto his elbow to look at her properly, his eyes searching hers with concern.

"Are you alright, pet?" he asked worriedly, reaching out a finger to wipe a few remaining tears from her face. Hermione nodded bravely, and tried to smile at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't..." she trailed off inarticulately.

Sirius laughed, contemplating her with disbelief. "You're sorry?" he asked incredulously. "Pet, you really need to stop apologizing to me. Why are you sorry?"

Hermione looked down at the sheet below her, flushing. She either didn't have an answer or didn't want to tell him. Sirius leant towards her and kissed her tenderly on the lips, soft from where she'd been crying.

"It only hurts the first time," he whispered, cupping her cheek in one hand so that she was forced to look up at him. "It'll be better next time, I promise". Hermione nodded, looking relieved, and Sirius wondered how much she actually knew about sex. He looked at her fondly, before rolling again onto his back.

"What happens now?" she asked quietly.

"Married life," Sirius replied, barking a short laugh.

"No, I meant-"

"I know what you meant, pet. Would you like to sleep here? I understand if you'd rather go back next door..." Hermione nodded shyly at the second option.

"If that's OK?"

"Of course," Sirius soothed. He rolled off the bed on his side, and moved around to scoop Hermione's robe off the floor, before shaking it and holding it out for her. He turned his head away. "I won't look".

Hermione scooted up and slipped her arms through the robe, wrapping it around her, immensely grateful that Sirius was being so sympathetic.

"Thank you," she said, and she meant it from the bottom of her heart. As she turned to pick up her panties from the ground, she noticed blood stains on the bed, and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, as she felt heat rush up into her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she murmured in embarrassment. Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.

"Stop apologizing," he replied, his breath tickling her ear, and she smiled despite herself. He turned her around to face him. "Are you sure you're alright?" Hermione nodded bravely.

"I'm sure".

"Let me accompany you to your room, Mrs Black," Sirius said, leading her to the door, which he held open for her. "I'll send one of the house-elves to wake you in the morning - we're due at Grimmauld for noon". He winked at her conspiratorially: "Sleep well, pet". Hermione stepped into her room, and Sirius closed the door quietly behind her, and she could hear his footsteps as he returned to his room.

[Please review - it makes me so happy! Thanks for reading :) More to come by next week...]


	5. Chapter 5

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Please review - even just one line or one word! I'll love you forever :p Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships!]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Hermione was woken the next morning by a light tapping noise on her door. She rolled over sleepily, her eyes refusing to open to the light, and she tugged the covers of her bed up to her chin, trying to get back to a state of full sleep, barely even registering where she was. The tapping noise persisted, until Hermione cried groggily: "Come in".

The door swung open, revealing a particularly short house-elf, bearing a silver tray which appeared to be carrying a variety of breakfast foods, and a pot of steaming tea. Hermione finally opened her eyes, and sat up immediately, rubbing her forehead as it all came flooding back to her - the wedding, the new house, Sirius...Sirius. She groaned, still not having noticed her wake-up call, who was tottering over to the side of her bead, balancing the tray precariously.

"Good morning, Mrs Black". Hermione started, and peered cautiously over the side of her bed, and only then did she spot her visitor. The house elf was terribly short, no more than two feet tall, and looked as if she was wearing a discarded cushion-cover, a light blue affair with small lilacs across it in pattern. Her ears were high upon her over-sized head, and her bright blue eyes somehow reminded Hermione of Dobby.

"Good morning," Hermione began, stifling a yawn. "It's a pleasure to meet you".

The house elf's face lit up at the compliment, and she smiled brightly at her new mistress. "Sela is ever so pleased to meet you, Mistress". Hermione smiled back at her, warming to the creature immediately. Noticing that Sela looked close to dropping the tray, Hermione said:

"Would you like to pass that to me, Sela? It looks heavy".

"Thank you, Mistress," Sela replied, her high pitched voice full of gratitude. She passed the tray up to Hermione, who placed it next to her on the mattress.

"Master Black has asked Sela to wake you, and help you get ready for the wedding today. Would you like Sela to run you a bath, Mistress?"

"Mmm, that sounds lovely," Hermione answered, looking forward to a nice hot bath. "Thank you, Sela".

"Not a problem, Mistress. Master Black would also like Sela to draw your attention to the wardrobe to your left. And he asked Sela to tell you that he..." Sela looked as if she was struggling to remember Sirius' exact words. "He...oh yes, that he looks forwards to seeing you at a quarter to noon in the entrance hall".

Hermione nodded, and Sela made a little half-curtsey, before trotting off into the bathroom, from where Hermione could hear her humming as she prepared a bath. She really did need to speak to Sirius about the matter of the house elves - she didn't know how many he had working in this huge house, but one was more than enough. She made a mental note to herself to free Sela as soon as possible.

Hermione found Sela to be a sweet, if not overly intelligent, creature that morning. She helped her pick out a light pink satin dress for Harry and Padma's wedding of that afternoon, and stood on a stool to plait Hermione's hair into something resembling a French braid. She even managed to apply light eye liner, with no major casualties. Sela had clearly been waiting a long time to have a female Mistress to tend to, and she was relishing the opportunity.

Hermione was dressed and ready to leave by ten, which gave her over an hour to explore her new home. Sirius was no where to be seen downstairs, and as Hermione passed his open door she could see only another house-elf changing the bed, and one washing the windows. In all honesty, she wasn't disappointed that she didn't have to face him right away, and appreciated having the time to think.

The house was truly magnificent. Hermione could've spent hours inspecting the many portraits which hung along the walls of the second floor, but instead she set herself the task of learning her way around. The second floor was fairly easy: Sirius' room was the last door on the landing, and took up the East wing of the floor. Hermione's was next to his, and to the right of that was a laundry cupboard, next to a billiards room, lined with book shelves and stacks of dusty old newspapers, which she wondered why Sirius had felt the need to transport to the new house.

The middle floor was less obviously laid out. An arch led into a small reception room with two leather sofas, and two doors within this space led off to what were presumably guest rooms. The East Wing of this floor was taken up with the house-elf quarters, which had clearly been left until last when Sirius was organizing the new property, as when Hermione peeked in, two house-elves were busily unpacking boxes of cleaning supplies and polishing saucepans.

Hermione quickly located the lavish dining room on the ground floor, just off the entrance hall with its luxurious chandelier, and found the main living room situated next door, in which yet more house elves were working on the fire place and winding the old grandfather clock.

There was only one door left, which Hermione had left until last, as it was the most mysterious looking door of the house, with an almost illegible crest engraved onto the door. Hermione pushed it open tentatively, and peered in to the dimly lit room. Her lips curved up into a smile immediately, as she realized what this space was going to be used for - it was a library!

"Hermione!" Hermione heard Sirius before she saw him, as he appeared from the side of a half-stocked book shelf. "You found me".

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, taken rather by surprise. "I didn't mean to disturb you, I was just exploring the house".

"What do you think of it?" Sirius asked, his forehead wrinkling slightly as he waited for her reply with bated breath.

"It's incredible, Sirius, I love it". Sirius smiled and exhaled in relief, before stepping further towards her.

"You look beautiful, as always, pet", he murmured, taking in her dress by the light of the window. Hermione blushed, although not as much as she had yesterday.

"Sela helped me," she explained.

"Ah yes, Sela," Sirius said, his voice betraying an edge of something, Hermione didn't know what. "Not one of the strongest liquors in the cabinet, is she?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione retorted, feeling a pang of protectiveness towards her new friend.

Sirius' eyes widened at her impassioned reaction. "I'm glad you got on with her".

"You don't?" Hermione questioned. Sirius took a deep breath, but didn't answer. "Sirius, we need to talk about all of these house-elves. How many do you actually own?"

Sirius looked taken aback by her question, and held a hand up as if he was calculating in his head. Finally he answered: "Eleven, in total, but Alcyonis also lives here, even though Molly took it upon herself to free him years ago. He just won't leave". Sirius looked exasperated. "It's not like he works, either," he muttered.

"Why do you need eleven?"

"It's a big house, Hermione". His voice was calm, but Hermione sensed he was hiding his irritation.

"You know how I feel about house-elves - I can't condone slavery". Hermione replied, trying too to stay calm, although the topic infuriated her.

"Would you rather do the housework yourself?" Sirius asked sweetly, sarcastically, and Hermione felt her heart beating faster as adrenaline cursed through her blood. She folded her arms across her chest, and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"I want you to free them", she stated, pursing her lips in determination.

"No." Sirius answered.

"Then I'll do it myself". Hermione retorted defiantly.

"You will not!" Sirius barked out a bitter laugh. The couple glared at each other. Sirius refused to break eye contact, and in the end, Hermione was forced to look away, to prevent things from getting out of hand. She huffed under her breath, and shook her head. Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't want to argue with you, pet". He said gently, after a tense silence. "Let's talk about something else?"

Hermione nodded reluctantly.

"I'm glad you're here actually, although I wasn't going to bring you in until it was ready," Sirius said, his tone lighter, as he gestured around the half-stocked library. "I wanted you to have somewhere for yourself, a private space. Think of it as my wedding gift to you".

Hermione regarded him, eyes wide, as she took in the expanse of the library behind him. "It's huge," she remarked, smiling despite herself. The decor reminded her of the Hogwarts Library, in which she'd spent so many happy hours.

"It should be ready for you by tomorrow, I'm just shelving the books - Flourish and Blotts delivered yesterday morning".

Hermione swallowed, touched at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you," she said, sincerely. Sirius held her gaze, and regretted their quarrel over the house-elves - making her smile was a good enough justification for more or less anything.

They were interrupted by a light knocking on the library door, and Sela informed them that it was, in fact, approaching noon, taking both of them by surprise. Sirius hurried off to get his dress robes, leaving Hermione a couple of minutes to browse. The first book she came across was "Hogwarts: A History". She smiled fondly, and stroked the spine. Things could have turned out a lot worse with this marriage law.

**[Please review - it makes me so happy! It's short, I know, but the next chap will be longer - does anyone have any requests/suggestions for Chapter 6? Thanks for reading :) More to come soon...]**


	6. Chapter 6

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive, Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Please review -even just one line or one word! I'll love you forever :p Requests are definitely welcome for this pairing or other HP ships! Sorry for such a long wait :/ I've been so busy! x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius in in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER SIX **

When Hermione had recovered from the apparation to the second wedding of the week, she was taken aback by the extravagance of the occasion. The Patil family home was decorated in deep reds and purples, and the bunting which adorned the gravel path to their door shone in the afternoon sun. The air was buzzing with excitement, as Padma's family swarmed into the estate. Sirius wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist, and led her towards the house, as both of them took in the elegance of their surroundings.

The moment the pair stepped into the entrance hall, Ginny rushed at them.

"Hermione!" she greeted, hugging her friend tightly, before pulling away and inspecting her closely. "Sirius." She added, almost as an after though. She scrutinized the new Mr and Mrs Black as Hermione admired her dress – a light blue sun dress with a cream sash.

"You look gorgeous, Gin," she smiled, trying to reassure her that she was OK after last night.

Ginny seemed to relax a little, and took Hermione's arm, steering her through the reception room through what appeared, beneath the lavish decorations, to be some sort of conservatory.

"Everything looks incredible," Hermione mused as they passed tables of food.

"Try telling Mum that." Ginny shook her head, before continuing in hushed tones: "I don't think I've ever seen her stressed out like this. She and Mrs Patil are barely on speaking terms, it's terrible. And poor Harry, he's caught in the middle of it all. He doesn't want to upset Mum, but he can hardly get on the wrong side of his new family in-law before he's even married, can he?"

They had reached the terrace, overlooking a lake and the rows of chairs set up for the ceremony. Sirius spotted Remus through the crowds, and excused himself from the girls. As soon as he was out of earshot, Ginny grasped Hermione's arms and spun her so that they were positioned in a corner, away from the chaos surrounding them as guests arrived.

"Tell me everything, 'Mione! How was last night? What did you do? How was he? How about this morning?"

Hermione blushed and fidgeted, fiddling with her hair. She finally answered: "He has far too many house-elves. I don't want to argue with him, but I really can't condone slavery in my new home". Ginny raised an eyebrow, and exhaled sharply.

"Really? Hermione, really? I want to know the juicy details, not the ins and outs of domestic life! Tell me about last night – did you get my 'gift' alright?"

Hermione swallowed, thinking back to the lingerie. "Yes, thank you. I hadn't even thought of...that".

Ginny laughed. "I didn't think you would have! So, you wore it..."

Hermione nodded. "He left me alone for a few minutes, and I put it on, and then went to his room. He..." she trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Ginny demanded, peering into Hermione's averted eyes.

"No! Of course not. We talked for a little while, and I ended up in tears. It all just got to me, Gins. And then he said that we didn't have to...you know, last night, if I didn't want to".

"That's so sweet of him!" Ginny crooned. "So you didn't do anything?"

"No, actually, we did. I...I felt terrible, expecting him to wait. I mean, it was our wedding night, you know? And I didn't want to put it off".

"How was it?" Ginny asked quietly.

"It was better than expected, I suppose". Hermione answered, truthfully. She had been expecting much, much worse. "It hurt, but I knew that it would. Sirius was gentle, and kind".

"What happened afterwards?" Ginny asked. Her voice had taken on a slightly worried edge, and Hermione realized for the first time that Ginny might be asking for more than just the sake of gossip. Her own wedding was fast approaching.

"He said I could stay with him, but I said I'd rather go back to my room. I kind of wanted to be alone. And he was so sweet about it. He took me back to my room. He's such a gentleman". Hermione smiled slightly – things could have been so much worse.

Ginny had sobered completely by now. "What day is your wedding, Gins?" Hermione asked gently.

"Day after tomorrow." Ginny replied, softly. Hermione moved around to stand by her side, and put an arm around her comfortingly, before steering her towards a near-by couch and sitting them both down.

"You're still getting on with Neville though, right?" Hermione probed, worried about the younger girl's expression. Ginny nodded.

"You said you couldn't wait, before..."

"I'm getting a little...nervous." Ginny replied.

"Of course you are!" Hermione squeezed her tightly."Ginny, it's hardly surprising. I bet Neville's feeling exactly the same way, probably worse, knowing Neville. No offence."

"You said it hurt". Ginny's voice had become so quiet Hermione had to lean in to catch what she was saying. She sighed.

"It did."

"And that's with Sirius, who knows what he's doing. Neville..."

"Ginny, it will be better for you. You and Neville have clicked, you said it yourself. There's chemistry there. I really do think it will be easier. And Neville's gentle by his very nature".

"You said Sirius was gentle..."

"He was..."

"_Would all guests please make their way to the seating area, the ceremony is about to begin!_" A chirpy sounding voice, presumably that of Mrs Patil, was heard above the clamour of the conservatory, and Hermione linked arms with Ginny, before heading out into the garden.

Sirius caught up with them, having finished his brief catch-up with Remus, and snaked an arm around Hermione's waist, smiling questioningly down at her having noticed Ginny's pale cheeks and anxious expression.

"Is everything alright, Ginny?" he asked softly. Ginny looked up, eyes almost cloudy.

"Absolutely..." she replied, half-heartedly. Sirius decided not to push her, and led the girls to the front row. They were among the last to arrive, and the ceremony started promptly after they were seated.

The guests rose and turned to watch Padma walk down the aisle, accompanied by her proud-looking father on her arm. She looked beautiful. At the same time, Harry and the ministry official entered from the side, and stood under the maroon canopy at the front. Hermione smiled weakly at Harry when he shot a quick look over his shoulder, and he half-smiled, half-grimaced back. He looked paler than normal, but was dressed lavishly in clothes which had clearly been picked out by his new in-laws. Hermione could see what Ginny meant about the clash of wills between Molly and the Patils; while the bride and groom, and indeed the house, were decorated in deep purples and reds, suggesting the Patil's influence, the music and food was clearly Molly's doing.

The violins came to a gentle halt as Padma kissed her father on both cheeks and released him, and Hermione saw Harry visibly tense as the official stepped forward to start the proceedings. At least this official wasn't in as much of a rush as the one who'd overseen her and Sirius' wedding, Hermione mused.

The ceremony was over before too long, and Padma Patil had become Padma Potter; Hermione wondered vaguely if she'd appreciate the continued alliteration of her name. She, Ginny, and Sirius applauded politely, before filing back up to the house, where the feast was beginning.

*.*.*.*.*

After the feast was over, Sirius politely excused himself and went off to join Remus and Tonks outside on the terrace, leaving Hermione alone with Ginny, Ron, and Harry, although he was noticeably quiet, as was Padma who was sitting, looking rather uncomfortable, to his right. One of the parents must have noticed the awkwardness between the new couple, because they were quickly called to perform the first dance, and Ron, in an attempt to cheer up Ginny, escorted his sister to dance. Astoria appeared not to have turned up to this particular wedding, despite the fact that she was due to be wed to Ron the very next day.

Hermione was left alone at the table, sipping a glass of champagne, when Neville approached her, and sat himself down next to her.

"Good to see you, Mrs Black," he smiled warmly, and Hermione clinked glasses with him. "How's married life treating you?"

Hermione sighed, running a hand through her hair which had come loose from its braid."Not too bad, thanks Neville," she replied, setting her glass down on the table, and scanning the room quickly for Sirius or Ginny. Seeing that they were both some distance away, she leaned in to speak more privately more Neville.

"How are you feeling about the day after tomorrow?"

Neville gulped. "I was feeling good about it. Ginny and I were getting on really well..."

"But?" Hermione prompted.

"Today...I think Ginny's avoiding me. I don't know what I've done. Has she said anything to you?"

Hermione shook her head sadly. Ginny really was worried.

"You haven't done anything, Neville," she reassured, patting his arm. "I think you'll find that she's just...nervous. She really does like you, don't worry about that. But I think the reality of the situation is sinking in for her, seeing my wedding yesterday, and Harry's today. Do you see what I mean?"

Neville nodded, his eyebrows knitting together as he processed the information. "I'm nervous, too," he admitted, watching Ginny dance with Ron. "What should I do?"

"Talk to her. Before your wedding," Hermione advised. "When she comes back over here, take her to dance, and try talking to her then. If that doesn't work, take her outside and find a nice quiet bench, and tell her how you feel". Neville nodded in agreement. "As I said," Hermione added, seeing that Ginny was returning slowly to the table, "She really does like you".

As Ginny drew nearer, Neville rose, squeezing Hermione's shoulder in thanks, and went to meet Ginny. Hermione watched as he leant down to say something to her, and they linked arms and found a quiet corner of the marquee. Hermione smiled, hoping they'd work things out.

"Hi, pet." Hermione turned, recognizing Sirius' voice behind her. He held out his hand to her: "May I have this dance?"

She smiled in response, and took his hand, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. The band had just started a new song:

_"Find me here, and speak to me, I want to feel you, I need to hear you.._.." The lead singer sung huskily, his mouth perhaps a little too close to the mike, making his words slur together a little. Hermione barely noticed, because she recognised the song as one she knew from when she was little: it had been her mother's favourite song. She felt a twinge of sadness as she thought of her mother, and tears swelled in her eyes, threatening to spill over as the memories washed over her.

_"You calm the storms and you give me rest...you hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall..."_

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Sirius' voice was full of concern as he tilted her chin up so that he could meet her eyes. "Don't cry, pet".

_"You're all I want, you're all I need, you're everything, everything..."_

Hermione sniffled, holding back her tears. "This song reminds me of my mum," she explained softly, feeling silly now. Sirius seemed to understand though, and pulled her close. She buried her head in his chest, inhaling his deep scent. They swayed for a minute or so, until the song reached its climax:

_"And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you..."_

Sirius stroked her hair soothingly, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I was thinking we'd leave soon, pet. It's getting quite late..."

Hermione nodded, face still downturned as she tried to compose herself. "Sure. Can I say goodbye to Ginny first, and Harry? I've barely seen him."

"Of course," Sirius smiled down at her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll meet you by the back door, alright?"

Hermione nodded her assent, and spotted Harry in a group at the back of the room. He smiled warmly when he saw her and embraced her enthusiastically. She thought she could smell Firewhiskey on his tux, but said nothing. "Congratulations, Harry". She stopped at that, because there didn't seem to be much else to say. Besides, Harry's attention was being demanded by someone on his other side.

Turning, Hermione scanned the room for Ginny, but, when she couldn't spot her, she assumed she and Neville were talking outside, and decided not to disturb them. She really hoped they'd be OK.

Sirius led her to say a few more goodbyes, but before too long they had stepped outside and, reminiscent of the night before, although lacking the blindfold, Sirius told her to "Hold on tight," and they apparated back to the manor.

*.*.*.*.*

"Master Black, Mistress!" Sela greeted excitedly as they stepped in, and Hermione smiled down at her new friend.

"Sela," Sirius greeted curtly, slipping Hermione's jacket off her shoulders and hanging it up with his own.

"Master Black, an owl came while you were out, so Sela took the message". Sela was rummaging around in her cushion-cover, and waved the folded parchment excitedly when she found it. "Sela is sorry, it is slightly crumpled". She hung her head in shame, until Hermione promised her that it didn't matter, and thanked her.

Sirius had torn open the letter, and stalked off to the library, rather rudely in Hermione's opinion. Sela's gaze had followed him, and she looked slightly miffed. In an attempt to distract her, Hermione asked her for some tea and biscuits, and Sela happily agreed, tottering off to the kitchens to obey her new mistress. Hermione followed Sirius into the library.

"Those bastards...Fuck." Sirius was slumped in the window seat, holding the letter in front of him, jaw clenched in ill-disguised anger. Hermione approached him cautiously.

"Sirius?"

He looked up, shaking his head in irritation, and thrust the parchment at her. Before she'd even unfolded it, Hermione understood why his reaction had been as it had. The Ministry seal was stamped boldly on the back. This couldn't be good news.

_"Dear Mr and Mrs Black,_

_The Ministry of Magic wishes to offer its sincerest congratulations on your recent nuptials! We would also like to take this chance to inform you about a certain charm placed upon your persons by the Ministry Official at your ceremony. This charm has informed us of the consummation of your marriage, which means that we are not compelled to take any disciplinary measures. Congratulations._

_The charm placed upon you has further value. As you are aware, the principle aim of this Marriage Law is to repopulate more efficiently the wizarding world. As such, we will expect you to be 'intimate' twice weekly, (until such a time as Mrs Black falls pregnant), in order to more quickly conceive a child. Please note, the Ministry will also be alerted should you purchase or utilize contraception, either Muggle of Magical, as this would completely contravene the Law._

_Congratulations once again on your marriage._

_Regards,_

_The Ministry of Magic"_

**[The song this time was "Everything", by Lifehouse, another of my favourites J Please review!]**


	7. Chapter 7

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Please review - even just a line or one word! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 6 – funnily enough, Guest-reviewer, I do have something horrible for Sirius to do planned already! ;) Not quite yet though... x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Hermione dropped the letter, and stood in stunned silence, how mouth opening and closing a couple of times as she tried and failed to find words appropriate to the situation. Sirius had leant forward, and was cradling his head in his hands, breathing deeply, Hermione presumed to control his anger.

Finally she spoke: "I suppose it's not really all that surprising. The Ministry...there are no lengths to which they wouldn't go". Her voice was flat, defeated, and it saddened Sirius. He looked up at her, running a hand through his hair, before shuffling along the seat to create a space for her to sit down next to him.

"Your right, of course, but still...I can't believe they think they can do this".

"They have done it". Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "Do you think they'll know if we don't...?"

"I'm sure of it". He repositioned himself so that he was facing her. Hermione had grown pale, and her hair was hanging limply around her face, fallen out of its braid. She still looked beautiful, Sirius mused. "I'm sorry, pet," he said simply.

"It's hardly your fault..."

The pair sat in silence for a few undisturbed minutes, until Sela bustled in chirpily with their tea and biscuits balancing precariously on a tray.

"Sela is sorry for the delay, Master", she said, tottering over to the coffee table by the fireplace, and setting the tray down. "Shall Sela bring over the cups?"

"No, thank you," Sirius replied, his voice weary. "We'll come and sit by the fireplace. Thank you, Sela. Will you make sure that my wife's room is ready for her, and then you are dismissed for the evening?" Hermione breathed an inward sigh of relief – she'd be sleeping in her own room this evening, at least.

Sela bowed and hastily left the room, humming quietly to herself. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her cheerful disposition.

"Milk?" Sirius asked, pouring Hermione's tea for her. She nodded, reaching out to add a half-spoonful of sugar.

"What are we going to do?" she asked meekly, once she was cradling the cup of warm tea in her hands.

Sirius blew a long breath out, turning to pour his own drink. He wished it was something slightly more alcoholic.

"I suppose we should...set aside two evenings a week?" Hermione gulped down a sip of her tea, but nodded bravely. "It's Sunday today, isn't it? When does the Hogwarts term start?"

"Thursday," Hermione replied quickly; she'd been counting down the days since the beginning of the summer. Sirius nodded.

"I work late with the Aurors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays...Mondays? You'll probably want to see your friends at the weekends...What about Mondays and Fridays?" Hermione tensed a little: Monday was tomorrow.

"That's fine for me..."

"Good". Sirius said decisively. He seemed at a loss for what to say next.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, pet," He looked relieved that Hermione had spoken first.

"What happens when I'm at school? With us?"

"I spoke to Remus about this today – our case is rather unusual, because most of the other people affected by this law are either both out of school, or both in school. According to Remus, your dorm will still be available to you, but only during the day".

"What use is a bed and nightstand during the day?" Hermione snorted.

Sirius shrugged, raising an eyebrow in agreement at the absurdity of the situation. "It's a convenient way to make you come home at night. You'll be able to apparate, of course..."

"Right..." Hermione thought for a moment, before gasping audibly.

"What is it?"

"What happens if I get pregnant before next summer? I wouldn't be able to graduate, or take my N.E.W.T.S."

Sirius groaned. "This is such...I won't say what I want to, because it's incredibly rude, but you understand what I mean. I don't know what to say. We'll just have to...cross that bridge when we come to it."

Hermione folded her arms defiantly. "I hate the Ministry".

"Me too, pet". Sirius sipped his tea. He paused before speaking again. "Do you want to have a family?"

"We don't have a choice..."

"What I meant to say is, did you want to, before all this?" He gestured vaguely around the room. "When you thought about your future, were children ever a part of it?"

Hermione thought about the question for a few moments. "Yeah, they were, actually. But children come after career, that's what my mother always told me. I always thought I'd work first, meet someone, get married, and then think about starting a family". She looked almost wistful. "How about you?"

"It was never high on my list of priorities...and then Azkaban happened, and...I never thought I'd marry, let alone...You know?" Hermione nodded, because for some reason she did understand.

"I think you'll be a good father" Hermione commented, setting her empty cup down on the table.

"Really?" Sirius asked, sounding dubious.

"Yes, really. Look at you with Harry, you're a great godfather".

Sirius looked a tad shifty at this comment. "What?" Hermione asked, sounding slightly suspicious.

"I...erm...I wasn't a good godfather today".

"What did you do?"

"It's not so much what I did, as what I didn't do...I was so involved in my conversation with Remus, that I...neglected to...confiscate his drinks."

"What are you saying?" Hermione probed. She suddenly remembered smelling Harry's shirt when she hugged him goodbye. She hadn't said anything either.

"He may have had one – or two – too many firewhiskeys..."Sirius trailed off, hanging his head.

Hermione exhaled deeply. "Poor Harry...poor Padma".

"I brought him the first one, I thought it might give him some confidence...but then I looked over at him half an hour later and he had got rather flushed. But he was surrounded by people...I didn't think".

Hermione shook her head in worry and irritation – at both herself and at Sirius. "There's nothing we can do now..." Sirius shook his head in agreement.

"I'm sure he'll be fine..." Hermione hoped out loud, although she sounded unconvinced. "What time is Ron and Astoria's wedding tomorrow?"

"Noon, again. I hear poor Molly's tearing her hair out about this one. I can see why. That's going to be one awkward couple..." Hermione nodded, her face grim. Poor Ron...

"I should probably go to bed – is that OK?"

"Of course – you don't need my permission, pet. I'll have Sela wake you. With any luck, I'll have finished the library by then."

"Thank you, Sirius." Hermione turned at the door. "Good night".

Sirius watched her go fondly. He wished there was something he could for the girl. Before long, however, he had stretched out on the sofa, exhausted after the past few days, and was asleep, adrift in troubled dreams.

*.*.*.*.*

Sela woke Hermione the following morning, in much the same manner as on the previous day, and helped her dress for the upcoming wedding. This time she chose a more conservative dress for the occasion – she doubted very much that there would be huge joy at this wedding. The dress she settled upon was grey, with a black bow cinching in her waist. The sleeves were elbow length, and the neckline relatively high. It gave her a defined figure, but reminded her of her outfit from when she Harry and Ron had infiltrated the Ministry using Polyjuice potion.

Sirius met Hermione in the entrance hall just before noon, looking noticeably more dishevelled than he had done previously, and they apparated together to the Greengrass Mansion. If they hadn't have known better, they might have been forgiven for thinking that they had the wrong day, or even the wrong property. The gates of the family home were barred shut, and only a few lights were on inside.

A loud popping sound startled the bemused pair, and they joined by Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny, and George. Hermione couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Ginny's eyes, although the younger girl looked much calmer than she had done yesterday.

"Sirius, Hermione, dears, how are you both?" Mrs Weasley bustled over, although the sentiment was lacking her usual enthusiasm.

Hermione embraced her tightly, and Sirius shook Arthur's hand, as Ginny came over to stand with them.

"I don't suppose you know how to get in, Arthur?" Sirius asked, looking up once again at the grand property before them.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I suppose they didn't think to give you the password? Typical". He raised his voice considerably, as if hoping the Greengrass family might hear him, and continued sarcastically: "Their Royal Highnesses don't want anyone to know about this wedding, apparently, my son isn't good enough for them. How about that?"

"Arthur, keep your voice down," Molly scalded, her tone weary as if she had heard similar rants before in recent days.

Arthur huffed indignantly, before raising his wand, and pointing at the iron gates. "Initio Juoanis" he shouted, his voice ringing in the quiet of the late morning. The gates swung open for them. "Come on then, we'll miss the bloody thing at this rate". He strode off towards the front door, the others hurrying to keep up with him.

Hermione walked with Ginny: "Where's Ron?" she asked.

"Astoria's parents sent an owl for him to come here this morning. God knows why, but he went. I suppose they want to threaten him, or bribe him, or try to corrupt him in some other way".

The party was met at the door by a grubby looking house-elf, who ushered them into a large room, furnished in marble. Inside, they found the Greengrass family, a few chairs set out, and a Ministry Official, looking rather bored. Ron was seated at the front of the hall, and they immediately rushed to him. The Greengrasses largely ignored them.

They had only had a chance to ascertain that Ron was "alright" before the Official cleared his throat, and indicated that they should take their seats. Hermione, Sirius, and the Weasleys sat on one side, behind Ron, while the Greengrass family sat on the other. It appeared that no other guests had been invited, or perhaps they were simply stuck outside without the password. Even Harry was missing – Hermione hoped he was recovered from last night.

The ceremony was quick and basic, similar to Hermione and Sirius', and Ron reluctantly kissed Astoria on the cheek at the end. Nobody applauded. Molly wiped a tear from her cheek, but Hermione doubted it was a tear of joy. The house elves passed around glasses of champagne, which were sipped in cold silence, as Ron and Astoria stood awkwardly at the front.

Seeing that her husband was growing red in the face, and presuming that he was about to verbally abuse a member of Ron's new family-in-law, Molly Weasley stepped in, and suggested that perhaps they ought to take their leave. Mrs Greengrass smiled coldly, and ordered a house-elf to show the guests out. Ron followed them to the door, and embraced everyone tightly.

"Are you living here now?" Hermione asked him.

"For now, yes. Astoria's parents are having a house built just down the road for us, but it's not quite finished yet. I think we'll move in there soon though".

"Are you really OK, my love?" Molly cooed, taking Ron's face in her hands and inspecting him carefully.

"I'll be OK, Mum, don't worry about me". He lowered his voice. "Astoria actually seems like a decent girl – her parents are the worst thing about this. When we move out, I'm sure we'll work something out".

Molly stepped back, her eyes growing red from her quiet crying, and Ron's other family members said their goodbyes. The whole party were back outside the gates by half-past twelve.

"Well, that was...short". Sirius said finally.

"My poor Ronald..." Molly wept, and Arthur put his arms around her. Ginny and George patted her comfortingly.

Hermione turned to Sirius. "Could I spend the afternoon with Ginny? I feel like I haven't seen her properly in ages."

"Of course. I think I'll go back to Grimmauld, there're a few things of mine left there. Ginny's welcome to go back home with you. But tonight..."

"I know." Hermione blushed. "She won't want to stay anyway, her wedding's tomorrow."

"I'll meet you back at home, pet" Sirius said, kissing her on the cheek.

George, Molly and Arthur returned to Grimmauld Place with Sirius, and Ginny took up Hermione's offer happily.

*.*.*.*.*

Sela had been delighted to meet Ginny, and quickly set about preparing lunch for the girls, who decided to sit in the garden. Having walked for a few minutes, they came across a large oak tree, and Hermione summoned a blanket so that they could sit beneath it in the afternoon sun.

"So, tell me: what happened with Neville?"

Ginny smiled. "He told me he thought I might be nervous, and that he's nervous, too. And we talked about the wedding, and how it's going to be at school, and the future – he's so great, Hermione. We're back to how we were, thankfully. Better, even."

"Oh Ginny, I'm so glad. What did you decide?"

"Well, we talked about it, and we decided to ignore the fact that we're married, and pretend we're just having a normal relationship. Take it slow. That way, it's not so scary. We'll be married in name, and then, one day, with any luck, we'll get to the point where we want to be married. And we'll be married already! It'll work out perfectly."

Hermione smiled at seeing her friend so happy again. Ginny continued, "To be honest, I think we were both nervous about the wedding night, but this way we needn't be..."

Hermione stopped smiling, having remembered the letter. Ginny didn't know. How could she?

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

Hermione didn't want to tell her, but felt she had to. She didn't know what the "disciplinary measures" were for failing to consummate a forced marriage, but she didn't want Ginny to have to find out the hard way.

"Ginny, you have to sleep with Neville on your wedding night".

"What?! No I don't!"

Hermione nodded sadly. "Yesterday we received an owl from the Ministry. During the ceremony, they place a charm on the bride and groom. It alerts them to whether the marriage is consummated". She refrained from revealing the rest of the letter to Ginny, who had paled.

"What happens if we...don't".

"They'll be 'compelled to take disciplinary measures'. I'm so sorry, Gin".

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please review - even just a line or one word! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter 6 – funnily enough, Guest-reviewer, I do have something horrible for Sirius to do planned already! ;) Not quite yet though... I'm considering writing a one-shot type chapter within this story about Ginny and Neville's wedding night – thoughts? It would only be one chapter, then back to Hermione and Sirius...Yes or No? x]**


	8. Chapter 8

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Please review - even just a line or one word! Please review to let me know whether you want a chapter on Neville and Ginny's wedding night together? x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**WARNING: This chapter contains a very angry Sirius, and dark themes, including non-con and violence. Please don't read on if you don't like this kind of thing.**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Hermione and Ginny spent a strained afternoon together. Ginny, once she had accepted the truth in what Hermione had told her, became very despondent and only picked at the pasta salad Sela had prepared for them. She left as soon as the sun began to fall, hugging Hermione goodbye tightly. Hermione promised to be at the Burrow by ten to perform her duties as Maid of Honour – Matron of Honour, as she was now.

When she saw that Ginny had left, Sela hurried out to the oak tree to help Hermione pack away the food items, and fold up the blanket.

"Did Mistress have a good afternoon?" she asked conversationally.

"Yes, thank you, Sela, I suppose so". The two walked together in comfortable silence back towards the house in the dawn light. "Sela, how long have you worked for Sirius?"

"Sela has served Master Black for four years, Mistress".

"And he has always treated you well?"

"Oh yes, Mistress!" Sela responded quickly, eager to praise her master. "Master Black is very good to Sela and her fellow house elves".

"Would you ever like to be...free?"

Sela stopped and gaped up at Hermione, her eyes impossibly wide.

They had reached the house, and the door opened from the inside, revealing Sirius.

"Is everything OK out here, Hermione?" he asked, wondering what his wife and her house-elf were doing lingering by the door. Sela looked like she'd had a fright.

"Everything's fine," Hermione replied quickly, following Sirius into the house. "Think about it, Sela," she added softly, turning one last time to the house elf, who was still rooted to the spot.

Once they were inside, Sirius took Hermione's hand silently, and led her into the library. "Close your eyes," he whispered, his tone light and surprisingly cheerful for him.

Hermione did as she was bade, and let Sirius guide her into what he guessed to be the middle of the library, before opening her eyes. A wide smile spread across her face as she took in the room before her. Sirius had finished stocking the library, and it was now lit by a hundred or so candles, hovering just above head-height around the room. The old, dingy curtains had been replaced by new ones, thick and a deep red in colour, and the room smelt like Hogwarts, if that was possible.

She turned to Sirius, who was watching her closely. "Thank you," she said, flinging her arms around his neck and embracing him, as he swayed slightly on the spot, trying to keep his balance.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled down at her, planting a kiss on the top of her head. He led her over to the fireplace, and they sat down together on the sofa.

"Accio champagne," Sirius commanded with a smile, and Hermione couldn't help but giggle at his jubilant expression.

"What's this for?" she asked, as he handed her a flute.

"For us, Mrs Black. I realized today – or more, today reinforced for me – how lucky I am to have you as my wife. Here's to us".

Hermione smiled, and raised her glass to his.

"Is everything OK with Sela?" Sirius asked after a moment had elapsed, thinking back to the elf's expression outside.

Hermione took a deep breath, and dived straight into the debate she felt compelled to reopen with Sirius.

"I want you to free the house-elves."

"Hermione, we've been over this." His voice carried a warning edge, which Hermione chose to ignore as she set her glass down.

"I want to talk about it" Hermione stated firmly. "You do not need eleven house elves."

Sirius sighed, and set his own flute down next to Hermione's. "Very well, then. You don't need an education, do you?"

This took Hermione by surprise. "What?"

"You'd be happy to drop out of Hogwarts and spend your time cooking and cleaning and caring for this big old house. Wouldn't you?"

Hermione folded her arms and scowled at him, muttering petulantly: "I'm not the one who bought this house".

"Oh, that's just fantastic!" Sirius spat at her, barking out a sarcastic laugh. He rose to his feet. "It's good to know you're grateful, at least".

Hermione ignored him. "What makes you think you have the right to keep nearly a dozen house-elves in captivity, working at your beck and call?"

"THEY ENJOY IT. And, I'm not the only one here who the house-elves are serving".

"Excuse me?!" Hermione snapped, rising to her feet to close some of the distance between herself and Sirius.

"Who cooked your lunch today? Who dressed you this morning? Yesterday morning? Who made your bed? I think you're enjoying having Sela wait on you".

"That's because she likes to help me!"

"Exactly!" Sirius spat at her. "That is exactly what I have just said – the house elves enjoy serving us!"

Hermione was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The anger she could see in Sirius' eyes was reflected in her own.

"Just because you're too lazy to-"

"I beg your pard-"

"I SAID: just because you're too lazy to look after yourself-"

"How dare you?!" Sirius cut in, his voice dangerously low and controlled for someone as angry as he was. His eyes had darkened severely. "Stop now, Hermione".

She did not. "You're just like them, you know – the Greengrasses, and the Malfoys," Hermione spat their names as if they were venom – "SO aristocratic and special, you think you can do anything!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Sirius raised his hand, and before she could do anything more, the back of it caught her across the cheek. She stumbled back and fell awkwardly onto a chair behind her, clutching her face as the pain brought tears to her eyes.

Sirius stood, his breathing laboured, glowering down at her. She looked down, shrinking down into the cushions, preparing herself for a second blow which never came.

"Get out. Now." Sirius took a step back, to let her pass. She hesitated. "Now!" Hermione rose shakily to her feet, and fled to the safety of her room.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius paced the library for several minutes, before he was composed enough to think properly. He had struck her. Day two of their marriage, and he had back-handed her.

"Sela!" he barked, and the house-elf appeared by the door to the library. She at least looked like she'd recovered from earlier. "Mrs Black is in her room – please see that she is taken care of. Cook whatever she likes for dinner".

"Yes, Master." Sela nodded.

"I'm going out now, but I'll be back before eight. Please see that Mrs Black is in my room before I return".

Sela nodded once again, and disappeared without question. Hermione would be fine, physically at least. He'd had at least had enough self-control not to hit her again. He was a strong man, and could easily have done serious damage had he lost all control.

*.*.*.*.*

Remus Lupin and Tonks were eating their supper contentedly when the Floo Alarm sounded in Remus' study. Right on cue, baby Teddy began to cry at the sudden noise, and Tonks quickly scooped him up from his highchair and sung to him gently as Remus headed to find the source of the disruption to their dinner.

"Padfoot!?" Remus greeted, pleased to see his friend but slightly concerned. Sirius hardly ever turned up uninvited, and when he did, it was never to bring good news.

"Moony." Sirius' voice was gruff and tired sounding. He stood awkwardly by the fireplace, dusting off his trousers.

"Come and sit down, old friend. What's happened? Is everything alright with Hermione?"

The two men took a seat in Remus' study. "I hate to ask, Moony, but do have any firewhiskey?"

"I do, I would assume you'd like some?" Sirius nodded dejectedly, and Remus rose to pour him a glass.

"None for you?"

"I'm having my dinner, actually".

"Oh. Sorry to disturb you".

"Not at all," Remus reassured. "What's wrong, Sirius?"

Sirius lifted the glass to his lips, and downed the whiskey in one, gasping for air as the liquid fire burnt its trail down his throat.

"I hit her". He stated the words flatly, appalled at his own behaviour. He could barely meet Remus' eye.

"What?!" Remus demanded. He had always been very fond of Hermione, and felt very protective of her all of a sudden.

"I don't know what happened. We were talking...and then she brought up those damned house-elves again, you know how she is...and then she just hit all the wrong buttons. I lost control. Merlin, Moony, what have I done?" He hung his head in his hands, and breathed heavily.

Remus sat in shock. "She must have been pretty angry with you push you so far".

Sirius nodded, head still in hands.

"There there, friend, you didn't seriously hurt her, did you? She'll be just fine – but you really need to apologize to her, as soon as possible in my opinion".

"Is everything alright in here?" Tonks stuck her head around the door, baby Teddy on her hip.

"Sirius! What's wrong?"

"Everything's going to be OK, love," Remus reassured, as Sirius rose to his feet and smiled weakly at Tonks.

"I'm just leaving, actually. I'm sorry to have disturbed your dinner.

"No problem..." Tonks began, but Sirius had already positioned himself in the fireplace, and was reaching into his pocket for floo powder. Remus reached out and offered him a silver tray of the green substance.

"Thank you, Moony," Sirius said, and disappeared into the flames.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione heard the lock on her bedroom door break before it swung open. She instinctively shrunk back a little, pulling her knees up to her chest, and shielding her bruised cheek with the ice pack Sela had given her. Sela had pleaded with her to go into Sirius' room before he returned, as he had apparently ordered, but Hermione had refused, leaving Sela with no choice but to leave her where she was.

Sirius shut the door behind him and watched her intently from across the room. Hermione couldn't tell what he was thinking, and felt the need to break the silence.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Sirius. You're nothing like them. And I am grateful – for everything. I just lost control".

Sirius crossed over to the bed, and perched on the edge. Memories of him coming to apologize to her after the original letter arrived came flooding back to Hermione.

"I shouldn't have struck you, no matter what you said. I apologize". Hermione nodded.

Sirius gently placed his hand over her own, and removed the ice pack from her swollen cheek.

"Sela!" The house-elf appeared at the end of the bed. "I would like you to fetch the purple vial of ointment from the black case in the right drawer of my desk, please".

"Right away, Master Black".

"The ointment should soothe and help heal the bruising". Sirius rose stiffly from the bed. "Sela will help you. And then, I'd like to see you in my room as soon as you're ready. It's Monday evening".

Hermione gasped, and rose her eyes to meet his. "Can't we wait until tomorrow?"

"I've told you: I work late with the Aurors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You return to Hogwarts on Thursday, the feast will go on late, and no doubt you'll be tired when you return. That leaves us with Friday and then a week has passed. It has to be tonight". His tone was firm, and left little room for argument.

Hermione shook her head vehemently. "Not tonight. I'm not doing anything right now".

"I'm not going to fight you, pet. I'll see you in my room in ten minutes". With that, he swept from the room, and Hermione was left gaping in her bed. She barely noticed that Sela had returned, and was clambering up onto the bed with the small vial.

"Sela will apply the ointment to Mistress' cheek?"

"Oh, yes, please Sela." Hermione turned to better accommodate the elf. "Sela, about what I said earlier: I hope I didn't offend you? If I did, it certainly wasn't my intention".

"Of course not, Mistress. It just surprised Sela, is all". Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Sela spread the cooling cream over her bruising. "Sela did think about your question though, and decided: Sela likes working for Mistress and Master Black. She doesn't want to leave this house". Sela finished spreading the ointment, and stepping back to check her work.

"I'm glad, Sela. If you ever change your mind..."

"Thank you, Mistress Black".

Sela smiled at Hermione, before hopping off the bed. "Is there anything else Sela can do for you?" Hermione sighed deeply.

"You can go next door, and inform my husband that he will see me in the morning, and not before then. Thank you, Sela".

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius scowled down at Sela, who was trembling slightly at his feet. "What do you mean, the door is locked?"

"Sela went back, like you said, to fetch Mistress, but she must have placed a stronger charm on her door. Sela couldn't break it, or apparate into the room. Sela is sorry, Master Black. Bad Sela, bad Sela". Sela began tugging on her ears, until Sirius stopped her.

"Stop it, Sela, this isn't your fault. I'm sorry I shouted at you. You are dismissed for the evening. Please wake me at the normal time tomorrow, and wake Hermione before nine – she needs to be at the Burrow early. Thank you, Sela". Sela disappeared with a pitiful nod, head downcast.

Sirius paced his room in anger. Did she really think he wanted to do this anymore than she did?! It was necessary, not pleasurable. But to refuse him, just like that. He'd apologized. She'd apologized. He'd been gentle with her. And now this. Sirius stormed down the short stretch of corridor to Hermione's room and hammered on the door. There was no response.

Sirius muttered a couple of more obscure charms under his breath, and the door swung open, revealing Hermione, still sitting on her bed. Her face was set in a stubborn frown. She glared openly at him as he stood in the doorway.

"I don't know what good you think will come from defying me, and angering me further..."

"I've told you," she spat, "I'm not going to let you touch me tonight. Go away".

Sirius' eyes darkened dangerously, as he stalked towards the bed. He undid his belt, and slipped it off. Hermione's eyes widened in fear, and she felt a real frisson of fear for Sirius Black, but he threw it aside. He would never do _that_.

"Stand up," he commanded, his tone emotionless and restrained.

"Why?"

"I'm going to undress you".

"No."

Sirius shrugged in mock resignation, and muttered a charm under his breath, which left Hermione sitting before him in just her underwear. She gasped and tried to cover herself with the blanket, which he snatched away and tossed onto the ground.

"You'd be wise to do what I say, pet. Unless you want to do this the hard way?" Hermione shook her head.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, shuffling back further away from him.

"We don't have a choice." His voice was cold and deliberately detached.

"There's always a choice."Anger swelled in her at his unwavering control. How could he expect her to do what he wanted after this evening?

"The other choice is Azkaban if we contravene the law, Hermione".

"I choose prison," she spat, although of course she didn't mean it. She scooted off the bed quickly and made for the door, but Sirius was just as quick, and caught her arms, pulling her back towards him.

"Get off me, Black! This has nothing to do with the law, you just want to fuck me." Once again that night, she instantly regretted her words. Sirius pushed her up against the nearest wall, and wrapped a hand around her throat, not forcibly enough to hurt her, but enough to scare her into some form of submission.

"You may prefer Azkaban," he snarled, "But I've been there, and I am not going to go back on account of a little girl. Now, get into bed". He released her throat. "Before I make you."

Hermione was shaking, but she was still determined not to give in. "I won't do what you say".

"Very well then, you've chosen the hard way".

"You wouldn't force me..."

"You'd be surprised what I'd do to stay out of Azkaban".

"Please don't." It came out as a sob.

Seeing that her spirit was broken, Sirius allowed his anger to die down a little. He didn't _want _to hurt his wife. If he had a choice, he'd be alone in his own room at this moment. His voice softened. If their positions were reversed, he'd despise himself.

"Lie down, pet". Hermione hesitated, but only for a moment, before returning to the bed and settling herself down on it. She was crying openly now. "Silencio!" Hermione winced as Sirius cast the silencing charm, but it was aimed at the room, not at her.

Sirius turned away from her and quickly disrobed, draping his clothing over the back of a chair. He returned to the bed, tactfully averting his eyes from Hermione's exposed body. She was trembling; whether from fear or the cold draught, or a mixture of the two, he didn't know. The bruise on her cheek was subtle after the ointment, but still visible. Sirius hated himself in that moment for what he would become by the end of the night.

He lay beside her on the bed, and propped himself up on an elbow to face her. "I don't want to scare you, or hurt you. But we have to do this. I'm sorry. Do you understand?" She nodded slightly. "Close your eyes". She obeyed happily, and took a deep, calming breath.

Hermione could the shift in the mattress as Sirius moved slightly, and felt his hand come into gentle contact with her waist. He moved his hand down her side, and gently tugged at her underwear. Reluctantly, she arched her back so that he could pull them more easily. She didn't have the energy to fight him anymore.

**[Please review - even just a line or one word! Please review to let me know whether you want a chapter on Neville and Ginny's wedding night together? x]**


	9. Chapter 9

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 8! Don't worry, Sirius will grovel and maybe, just maybe, Hermione will forgive him, given time... Unfortunately, it has to get worse still before it can get better...How!? you ask – wait and see! :p I've decided not to write Ginny and Neville's wedding night – I don't ship them, and I've never written either of them, so I thought it would be best to stick to Hermione and Sirius. They'll be more on some of the other couples though, just not in so much detail. Hope you enjoy this chapter! x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER NINE**

When Hermione woke the morning after, the first thing she noticed was the dull ache between her legs. She rolled onto her front and moaned into her pillow, as memories of last night flooded back to her.

In the end, having exhausted herself through struggling and realizing the futility of her efforts, she had resolved to let Sirius do what he wanted, and lain unresponsive beneath him. To his credit, which he was severely lacking in at that moment, he had been quick, and his anger had subsided enough to render him, if not completely gentle, at least not excessively rough.

Hermione had kept her eyes screwed shut throughout the whole ordeal, refusing to open them until she was certain that Sirius had gone. He had tried to talk to her afterwards, but had given up quickly. Hermione had lost all fear for him – he had already done the worst.

She wasn't even upset anymore – at least not enough to cry. Now her overwhelming feelings were of anger and powerlessness.

She sat up warily, and smoothed her hair behind her ears. Her stomach groaned; she was empty, having eaten last yesterday lunchtime with Ginny. For the past two mornings, Sela had brought her breakfast in bed, but there was no sign of the house-elf yet. Glancing at the clock, Hermione realized that it was only seven. She had to be at Grimmauld Place before ten to help Ginny, but the hours before that were her own.

She didn't want to see Sirius, let alone have to speak to him, before it was absolutely necessary, so she resigned herself to the fact that she was consigning herself to her room until they had to apparate for the wedding.

Now her stomach was growling more irately, she decided that her only real option was to call Sela. She wasn't entirely sure how to go about this: up until now, Sela had always just sort of appeared at the right time.

"Sela?" she called hesitantly, feeling a tad silly. But, sure enough, Sela appeared at the foot of her bed. The house-elf looked more uncomfortable than normal, and was shifting from foot to foot. She seemed to be struggling to meet Hermione's eye.

"Mistress! Sela is sorry, she didn't know you were awake".

"That's alright," Hermione said, swinging her legs over and down to touch the floor as she stretched. She felt stiff as she moved. Catching a glimpse of herself in the floor length mirror, Hermione noticed that her cheek had completely healed – not even faint bruises were left.

"Sela, would you please bring me some breakfast? And then could you fetch my Maid of Honour dress? It's the baby pink one which Ginny left here yesterday afternoon".

Sela shifted awkwardly on the spot, wringing her hands behind her back. "Sela can't do either, Mistress. Bad Sela, bad Sela!" She started to tug on the short, wispy strands of hair which sat on the top of her head.

"Sela, stop! What do you mean?" Hermione asked, trying to remain calm so as not to alarm Sela. It seemed unlikely that Sela could have done anything seriously wrong.

Sela finally stood still, and looked up at her Mistress. "Master Black told me not to bring you breakfast to your room this morning. He said he wants to eat with you, in the Dining Room".

Hermione snorted slightly in outrage. "He has to be joking. I'd like to take my breakfast in here, please". She was aware that she sounded spoilt and demanding, but it was low on her list of worries that particular morning.

"Sela can't do that. It was a direct order from Master Black".

"But I'm your Mistress".

Sela looked even more sheepish, and made no move to reply. Sirius had obviously established some sort of hierarchy within the house. It seemed impossible that he could sink any lower in Hermione's opinion of him now. She sighed.

"Fine then," Hermione continued. "Can you help me get dressed then? I'll eat at the wedding".

Sela nodded meekly, clearly embarrassed at having to disobey Hermione, and tottered over to the wardrobe. She reached out, and pulled out two dresses: a peach coloured sun dress and a navy blue maxi gown.

Hermione shook her head as Sela began to lay them out on the edge of the bed. "No, Sela, I need the dress that Ginny left for me. It has to be that one because it matches the colour scheme of her wedding. It's baby pink, and-" She stopped as she noticed Sela shaking her head.

"Have you lost it?"

"Sela is sorry, Mistress. It wasn't Sela's idea. Sela couldn't stop Master Black. Sela was only trying to help...". Hermione was feeling rather worried now. Sela's problem may be more serious than she'd thought.

"Sela, I would like you to tell me exactly what my _husband_," she spat the word, "has done".

"Master Black...Well, Sela came in to your room, last night, to collect the ice pack she had left you with, in case it melted in the night...And Mistress was shaking in her sleep, and tossing, and turning...And Sela grew worried. So she tried to wake you, to see if you needed anything, or if you were in pain...But you wouldn't stir. Which worried Sela even more. So...Sela went to Master Black, because she was worried. And Master Black was worried too, and he came in here, and when he saw you, and couldn't wake you, he asked Sela to fetch you a sleeping draught, to help you sleep more peacefully. So Sela rushed to find one...but Sela brought the wrong one...and she was going to go back and get the right one, but Master Black stopped her...and he said that he'd use the one Sela had brought, because he said he thought it might be better anyway..." She trailed off, her voice having grown so high during her explanation that Hermione had had to lean in to hear her better.

"Sela, which potion did Master Black give me?"

Sela gulped audibly, continuing to shuffle nervously on the floor. "It was a sleeping draught, Mistress...but Sela brought a very strong one...Master Black used to use it when he first came out of Azkaban. It's very powerful – it prevents dreams, and depending on the quantity administered, can more or less knock a person out for as many hours as is needed". Sela squirmed as she explained.

"And how much did your Master give me?" Hermione demanded, anger welling in her. How dare Sirius drug her up, after what he'd done? Without her knowing. Well, she scoffed; consent didn't seem to matter too much to Sirius, anyway.

When Sela finally brought herself to reply, her voice was so quiet that Hermione only just caught her answer: "Sela doesn't know exactly how much Mistress was given...but you have slept for over twenty-four hours...Today is Wednesday".

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius was seated at the head of the long, polished oak dining table, when he heard movement from upstairs.

"Sirius Black, I'm going to kill you!" Hermione screeched as heavy, angry sounding footfall could be heard on the stairs, growing closer. Right on cue.

Sirius set down his Daily Prophet, and, as a precautionary measure, summoned all of the knives from their places at the table to him, removing them from Hermione's war path.

When she appeared in the door, her hair wild and spread about her shoulders, wearing a long robe over her night shirt, Sirius had to consciously stop himself was shrinking into his seat. Hermione stood in the door way fuming, glowering at Sirius with eyes smudged from un-removed mascara. Sirius expected her to shout, but when she spoke, her voice was raw, but surprisingly controlled.

"How could you?" she spat, moving towards the opposite end of the table and planting her hands down on the wood. "How could you?"

Sirius gulped. He'd had this coming. "I know you're angry, and I-"

Hermione snorted. "Oh Sirius, 'angry' doesn't even begin to cover this. You made me miss my best friend's wedding. I was the bloody Maid of Honour!"

"I know". Sirius decided to let her rant first, and try to explain himself when she'd finished.

"After everything that happened on Monday," she continued, and Sirius winced, "You drugged me, against my will, and completely unnecessarily, with so much sleeping potion that I completely lost a day. And to top it all off, you not only forbade Sela from giving me breakfast in my room, for God knows what reason, you also seem to have established some sort of hierarchy with the house-elves in which your orders overrule mine. Did you really think I'd want to have breakfast with you?" Her face had grown flushed from the exertion of the morning, and she swayed slightly, gripping onto the back the nearest chair as a faint spell washed over her.

Sirius rose immediately, and crossed the room, but before he could get near her, Hermione shrunk back from him, out of his reach. It was an unsurprising reaction, all things considered.

Sirius rose his hands in surrender, and instead pulled out a chair for Hermione. "Perhaps you should sit down?" he suggested, worrying about her. In ordering her down for breakfast, he had overlooked the fact that she barely eaten in the past forty-eight hours, and the last drink she'd had was the champagne he given her in the library. She must be de-hydrated and completely empty. On top of her rage, it was lucky that she hadn't collapsed.

Hermione felt as if the room was swaying around her, but she was too stubborn to do as Sirius suggested, and remained standing.

"Hermione, listen to me, you need to sit down and have some water. Hermione..."

Sirius' voice faded into white noise as Hermione sunk to the ground, very nearly hitting her head on the edge of the table. Sirius lunged forward, and caught her small body in his arms, scooping her up and summoning all of the nearest house-elves to him as he carried her up to her room, cursing himself under his breath as he went.

**[Please leave me a review! :-)]**


	10. Chapter 10

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 9! Hope you enjoy this chapter! x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER TEN**

By the time that Sirius had got Hermione to her bed, and lain her down on the fresh sheets, she was already regaining consciousness, and the relief which Sirius felt was huge. He put her down gently, and the house-elves rushed around with cushions and pillows and glasses for the jug of water, trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

Sirius poured her a glass of cool water himself, and propped her head up to help her drink. Hermione watched him warily from beneath heavy eyes, but let him help her, and before too long she was starting to feel better, if humiliated at having fainted in front of Sirius in the middle of a rant.

Sela hurried in with a bowl of steaming porridge, and clambered up beside Hermione, thrusting a laden spoon towards Hermione's mouth. She shook her head and kept her mouth closed, not feeling like eating at that particular moment. She was still livid at Sirius; every time she felt slightly calmer, she remembered another thing he'd done, and her heart rate increased again. Having him at such close proximity wasn't helping matters.

"Hermione, you need to eat". Sirius' voice was calm, but Hermione sensed an edge of worry beneath the surface. Hermione's stubbornness encouraged her to ignore him, but seeing the sincere concern in Sela's eyes was enough to make her open her mouth, and let the house-elf spoon feed her, until she felt recovered enough to take over.

"Are you feeling better?" Sirius asked, watching her eat with relief. Her cheeks were beginning to return to a healthy colour, and as Sela worked on combing through her hair and gently wiping away the mascara smudges, she began to look like her normal self.

"I still can't believe that you did that". Her voice conveyed to Sirius the extent of her anger, and he took a sip of water himself. "Please tell me you at least went to the wedding and explained why I hadn't bothered to turn up?"

"Of course I did". Sirius set his glass down on the nightstand and pulled up a chair next to Hermione's bed. "Will you let me try to explain myself?"

Hermione bit her lip, and shrugged. "Fine." Sirius realized he didn't know where to start. He had so much explaining to do. Hermione prompted him.

"Why did you drug me into next year?"

"I was really worried about you. You were tossing and turning in your sleep, you almost pulled a pillow over your face at one point. Neither Sela nor I could wake you, not even with magic. I thought you might be a danger to yourself. At first I was just going to give you a basic sleeping draught, but then Sela brought a stronger one by accident, and I thought about it and...it seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought you needed a break, time to...recover".

"That wasn't your decision to make". Hermione's voice was bitter as she glared at him from her position on the bed.

"I know that, too. But I did what I honestly thought was right, in the moment. And I stand by that".

"It also meant that you didn't have to explain the bruising on my cheek to Molly or Ginny. I wonder if that crossed your mind?"

Sirius grimaced. "It wasn't my principle concern – that was to look after you, - but, I won't lie, I'm relieved that nobody has to see the bruising. Hermione, I feel awful about what I did to you. You must understand that. I've never hit a woman before in my life, and I never will again. I should have been able to control myself".

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. "And how was the wedding?"

Sirius smiled slightly. "It was beautiful. I'm not a sentimental man, but I could easily have shed a tear during the first dance. Ginny looked gorgeous". Unbidden, a pang of jealousy hit Hermione, but she quickly repressed it, her jaw hardening.

"Did you speak to Ginny?"

Sirius nodded, serious again. "I went to see her at ten, when you should have been there, and told her that you'd been unwell, and that I'd given you a sleeping potion which you were still under the influence of. I made sure she knew that it wasn't your fault, that the last time you were conscious you'd had every intention of being there. I made sure she knew it was my fault, and mine alone. She was...disappointed, but she had Molly and Fleur and even Padma fussing around her. And once the ceremony started, she had eyes only for Neville. She missed you, and she was worried about you, but she'd not angry with you. I am sorry, though, that I made you miss it. I really am".

Hermione sighed, but was undeniably relieved that Ginny wasn't mad. "How is Padma? Did you talk to Harry?"

"I did, but I didn't really see that much of Padma. Harry's alright, I can tell he's not particularly happy, but I wouldn't say he's unhappy necessarily. He's seen worse. You all have. And it turns out he wasn't as drunk as we'd worried – seems he's no lightweight..." Sirius smiled fondly, as if he was proud of Harry's ability to stomach too much alcohol. Hermione raised an eyebrow, and his expression sobered again. "Anyway, Padma looked fine, she was sitting with Fleur and Cho and laughing away when I passed by".

"Was Ron there?"

Sirius inhaled sharply, and shook his head. "That was the other big news. I'm sure you recall the Ministry letter we received the morning after our wedding? It seems that Ron and Astoria have...fallen short of the law, and they're now on the receiving end of the "disciplinary measures" the Ministry mentioned".

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean, they didn't...and now they're being punished?"

"Apparently so. Arthur told me that they've had their wands removed until further notice, and they're more or less under house arrest until they..." he searched for the right word: "consummate". Hermione gasped in shock and disgust at the Ministry. There really were no lengths it wouldn't go to...

"How can they get away with that?" she snapped, indignant on Ron's behalf. "That's utterly ludicrous!"

"The Ministry are utterly ludicrous, Hermione. That's why...well, that's why we have to obey them. Disobeying them is never worth the cost". He couldn't meet Hermione's eye, and she understood that he was hinting at their most recent night together. There was an uncomfortable silence. When Sirius spoke again, his voice was hoarse and raw with emotion.

"You said...you said that you'd rather go to Azkaban..." Hermione gulped, and looked away. "Did you mean it?"

"I-No, I didn't mean it". Still, she couldn't look at him, but Sirius was watching her intently, trying to gauge her reaction to his sensitive question. "I didn't want to sleep with you, but you know that already. But...I also knew that we had to. And that made me angry, at the Ministry. I was angry at you, from the library. I wanted to fight, you know? I felt like I needed to take it all out, on someone. I couldn't just...do it, without putting up a fight. I don't suppose that makes any sense..."

"It does".

"I think that's why I didn't fight you, in the end. My wand was within my reach for pretty much the whole time...but I knew that you were right. We had to go through with it. I'm...sorry for putting you through that, I-"

"Stop right there, don't apologize to me. I was excessively rough with you, I-"

"Not when it mattered. You didn't hurt me..."

"Even so. I hate myself for what I did to you".

"You were angry. I was angry. I don't think that either of us was really angry with the other, when it comes down to it. We were angry at the Ministry, at the whole situation. We just took it out on each other".

"We have to stop doing that". Hermione nodded in agreement.

"You were right about Sela..." Hermione said meekly. "I asked her, and...she does like working for you".

"For us," Sirius corrected. "Hermione, I have to tell you something..."

"About how your orders overrule mine?" The bitterness in her voice was kept to a minimum.

"Yes, well partially...When you said about how your wand was within your reach, I realized that you don't know – well, there's no reason you should".

"Know what?"

"You wouldn't have been able to do me any harm, not with magic at least. This house is very old – there's a charm in place which grants the owner protection within it. I left it on for safety's sake; I didn't think it could do any harm. It just means that, as I'm technically the owner of this estate, within the grounds, I'm sort of...I hate to say it, but 'untouchable'".

"Oh".

"And I doubt you want to hear this, but as my wife, it would be very difficult for you to do me serious harm. I'm not saying it's impossible, I know how capable you are, but the Wizarding World sees women as...again, I'm lacking a better word here, but 'property, almost, of their husbands".

"So...you can pretty much do what you want with me?" Sirius nodded, grimly. "I can't kill you..." he said, as if this might make it better.

Hermione snorted. "Oh, good! Well, that's OK then..."

"Look, I know it's hard to hear, but I don't see you as my possession. I see you as my wife, and I don't want to hurt you. I want to make you happy. I just thought you had a right to know".

"Fighting with you is...exhausting. I really want to try to get along". Hermione reached out and took Sirius' hand. "Can we try?"

"Of course".

*.*.*.*.*

"Ginny!" Hermione rushed at her friend, and embraced her tightly outside Gringotts where they'd agreed to meet. "I'm so sorry about yesterday, I-"

"Hermione, are you OK? Sirius said you were-" The girls came to a halt, as they realised they were talking over each other, and giggled, as they held each other at arm's length, not having quite broken the hug yet. "You go first," Ginny offered, smiling to see Hermione looking well.

"I'm so sorry, Gins. I had no idea; I woke up this morning and thought it was yesterday, until I was informed otherwise. I was so angry at Sirius. I can't believe I missed it".

"I'm just glad you're OK! I was so worried about you. Were you really that ill, or was Sirius just overreacting?"

"It's hard to say, to be honest. He says he thought I could have been a danger to myself in my sleep. It's hard to stay mad at him; he did what he thought was right...Enough of me, tell me everything!"

Ginny giggled. "It was amazing. I was nervous, but seeing Neville waiting for me at the alter...I was just so happy to be with him".

"Merlin, you're Mrs Longbottom now!"

"I know! It's insane, isn't it? It doesn't feel real – but I'm glad it is".

The girls had steered themselves towards the Leaky Cauldron, and ordered drinks before finding a secluded booth in a corner where they could continue their catch up.

"What about last night?" Hermione asked, more quietly.

"Actually, it was...good".

"Really? That's great!"

The drinks arrived, and Ginny and Hermione spent the next half-hour discussing Neville, Sirius, and the wedding in general, before heading back to Diagon Alley to pick up school supplies for the next day. Hermione refrained from mentioning the darker side she'd seen of her new husband.

*.*.*.*.*

George and Cho's wedding started at 3pm, and was held at Cho's parent's house. The ceremony was elegant but short-lived, and although the couple looked comfortable with each other, the real couple of the afternoon seemed to be Neville and Ginny, who held hands the whole way through and appeared generally inseparable, prompting many fond smiles from onlookers, who were glad to see the baby of the Weasley family looking so happy.

Remus wasn't able to attend, having suffered a painful transformation the night before, and Sirius excused himself early to see to his friend, giving the heavily pregnant Tonks a chance to enjoy the party. Lacking Ginny's presence, as she had disappeared with Neville, Hermione found herself engaged in conversation with Tonks, holding Teddy on her lap.

"What's it like, having children?" Hermione asked shyly, deciding to use the opportunity of conversation with Tonks to learn more about parenting.

"Bloody painful!" Tonks replied, but it was with a smile. "It's a joy, Hermione, honestly. As clichéd as it sounds, Teddy is my world". She leaned forward in her chair, and stroked her son's head, contemplating Hermione. "Do you think you might be...?"

"No!" Hermione replied quickly, although, she realised, for all she knew she might be.

"Sorry, I just thought..."

"No, of course, don't worry about it. I was just...curious".

"How are things between you and Sirius?"

Hermione paused, thinking about it. "We're getting there," she answered honestly, smiling quickly to reassure Tonks, who looked concerned.

"Not quite there yet?" Hermione shook her head, smiling down at Teddy who was fiddling with her hair and prodding her cheeks. She looked up when Tonks gasped.

"What?" she asked, worried Tonks might be going into labour – she was big enough!

"Hermione, what happened to your cheek?" Hermione's hand went to her cheek immediately, as she remembered the faint bruising which she'd covered with make-up that morning. Looking at Teddy, sure enough, he'd managed to wipe it off, and had pale foundation marks on his fingertips. She sighed. Tonks would not be one to let something like this go.

"I'm so clumsy," she lied, "I knocked it on the doorframe this morning when I was barely awake". She laughed nervously, and tried to smooth the remaining foundation over her cheek to hide the marks.

"Let me see," Tonks insisted, moving Hermione's hand away and peering closely at the bruises.

"Honestly, it's nothing..."

"That's not 'nothing', Hermione. And they're not from this morning. Those are mature bruises. What really happened?" Tonks was scrutinising her face.

Hermione shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, and looked down, pretending to be distracted by Teddy, who was now playing with her necklace.

"Why don't you want to tell me?" Tonks sat back down and tilted her head to the side, squinting suspiciously at Hermione. Her eyes widened: "He didn't...did he? Please tell me Sirius didn't do that to you?" Hermione's grimace gave the game away. Tonks gasped.

"It's really not a big deal, Tonks, honestly. Please sit down..." Tonks had risen to her feet, her hair turning an angry shade of red. "I pushed him, we were having an argument, and it's all fine now; we've talked about it! He feels awful..." Tonks was fuming. "Please, don't say anything".

"That's what Remus wouldn't tell me!"

"What?"

"Sirius came to our house on Monday evening, while we were having dinner. Remus wouldn't tell me what it was about..."

"How did he seem?"

"Distraught...really bad. He had a drink, then flooed away. I had no idea..." Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly, hearing how upset Sirius had been with himself.

"Please, Tonks, don't say anything. He's angry enough at himself. He won't do it again".

Tonks sighed. "He hasn't done anything else, has he?" She watched Hermione carefully as she answered.

"Of course not".

**[Please leave me a review! :-)]**

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	11. Chapter 11

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 10, I really appreciated some of the constructive criticism you gave. Hope you enjoy this chapter! x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the cool breeze on Platform 9¾. Sirius stood to her side, holding her small case of books for her, although she hadn't asked him to do so. The pair had arrived early, and there were still nearly twenty minutes until the train left. It felt odd for Hermione to not have a large trunk with her, but she had no need to bring more than a few essentials to Hogwarts with her this year.

As she had been granted special permission to apparate back and forth between Hogwarts and Sirius' home, Hermione could technically have foregone the hassle of getting Hogwarts Express, but in her final year, she couldn't bear to miss the tradition. She had agreed to meet Ron, Harry and Ginny on the platform, as was custom, but was now slightly regretting having hurried Sirius along, as they found they had little to say to each other.

"Hermione!" Hermione spun round on hearing the excited voice of Lavender Brown behind her. The roommates had never been overly close, but Hermione wasn't displeased to see a familiar face.

"Lavender," she smiled, embracing the girl, "How are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good – you? I haven't seen in forever!" She glanced up at Sirius and her smile grew as she stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Granger – how nice of you to see Hermione off!"

Sirius' eyes widened considerably, and he chuckled uneasily, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist and pulling her closer to him. Before he could say anything, Hermione answered, sounding dreadfully embarrassed: "Lavender, this is my husband, Sirius Black. We were married over the summer" _Less than a week ago_, Hermione thought to herself.

Now it was Lavender's turn to look shocked, although whether she was more surprised at Hermione's marriage, or at the fact it was Sirius Black, of whom she'd heard so much about in her Third Year, or if she was purely highly embarrassed by her mistake, Hermione couldn't tell.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, forgive me, Hermione, Mr Black. I-I didn't think". She flushed pink and grimaced at the ground. "You too look...good together," she finished awkwardly, before shooting a quick look over her shoulder. "Was that someone calling me? I think it was, I'd better go – I'll see you onboard, Hermione. Mr Black..." She hurried off into the crowds, and Sirius raised an eyebrow at Hermione, but said nothing.

They only had a couple of minutes to wait before they were joined by Ginny and Neville, holding hands and pulling a large double-sized trolley between them. Harry arrived with Padma shortly after, but Padma quickly found an excuse to leave the group and find her sister, which was understandable. Harry didn't look particularly bothered. The group chatted amicably, until the guard called out a five-minute morning, and Hermione started to worry about Ron.

"Ron is coming, isn't he?" she asked, scouring the bustling platform for any signs of red hair.

"He should be..." Harry answered, and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"I'd best be leaving, pet," Sirius murmured to Hermione, giving her a little squeeze from behind.

"You're not going to stay and wave me off?" Hermione joked, but Sirius' eyebrows knitted together. "If you want me to, I just thought-"

"I'm joking, you go. I'll see you tonight anyway".

"By the time you get there you'll be coming home again."

"I know, but I couldn't miss this".

"I know, love. Enjoy the journey".

The others had stopped talking, and were watching the couple rather unsubtly, clearly interested to see how they acted together. Sirius noticed this and gulped. Should he kiss her goodbye? Would that be weird? Would it be weird not to?

Hermione was waiting for him to make the first move, clearly as uncertain as he was. In the end, he settled for a lingering kiss on her forehead, and an embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but in was more for show than anything else, and she released him quickly.

"Bye".

"I'll see you later".

Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder as he left, but soon disappeared into the crowds. Ginny shot an eyebrow at Hermione, and she blushed, but they were quickly hustled onto the train, and nobody said anything to her about their somewhat awkward goodbye.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius didn't return home, but apparated straight to Remus' house, where the two men sat down to a coffee in Remus' study.

"What brings you here, Padfoot?" Remus asked kindly, setting out a few custard creams on a saucer.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "I need your advice. I don't know what to do about Hermione".

"In what sense? Is she well?" Sirius knew he was hinting at whether she'd recovered from Monday night, although Remus only knew about the first 'stage' of their argument, and the fact that Sirius had given Hermione a sleeping draught. Sirius hadn't told him about their second sexual 'encounter'.

"She's fine. Physically, at least. I think she's accepted my apology. She said that she wants us to try to get along, and Merlin knows I want to as well, but...She's so young. We're so different".

"She may be young, Padfoot, but think of all she's gone through. Think of everything she did last year. She must be mature".

"She is. But it doesn't change the fact that the girl is only seventeen years old".

"Not for much longer."

"What?"

"Her birthday's on the 19th, Sirius".

"Godric...You see, Moony, I didn't even know that. What kind of a husband am I?"

"It sounds to me like you haven't got to know each very well. It's not really surprising; you were married for two days, had a huge argument, you put her to sleep for a whole day, and then before you knew it she was back at Hogwarts. You've barely had a chance to get to know her".

Sirius nodded in agreement. Remus continued: "You have plenty of time – the rest of your lives – to get to know her. And I expect you know her better than you think".

Sirius shook his head dismally. "I'm not so sure".

"There must be some chemistry there," Remus continued optimistically. "You're both passionate, attractive people".

Sirius snorted. "Lavender Brown mistook me for her father, less than half an hour ago".

Remus winced. "That is unfortunate. But even so, the fact that you're arguing at all...all couples bicker, it must be a good sign. It shows that she cares".

"She cares about the house-elves, Remus. And this was more than bickering. You know how that argument ended..."

Remus sighed. "Have you taken her bed, after the first night?"

Sirius looked away and swallowed. This was the question he'd been praying that Remus wouldn't ask. "On Monday night..."

"Monday! You mean after you struck her...?" Sirius nodded, gravely. He couldn't meet Remus' eye. "Merlin, Sirius. And she consented to that? She must trust you more than you realise..."

Sirius gulped. His oldest friend's faith in his morals was flattering, if misplaced. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "She didn't want to..."

Remus blinked at him in alarm. "You don't mean to say...Oh, Sirius".

"I don't know what came over me. I apologized to her, as you advised, and made sure that her cheek was tended to. We'd agreed to spend the night together every Monday and Friday, it seemed to make sense for both of us...And I insisted. In spite of what I'd done".

Remus blew a long breath out of his mouth, shaking his head in disbelief. "And how did she respond to you?"

"She fought me, at first. Which was unsurprising. I was absolutely awful to her..."

"And then?"

"In the end, she sort of gave in to me. She gave herself over to me, and let me do what I wanted. I tried to be gentle with her, but I was angry..."

"And did you gain pleasure from it?"

"Physically, I suppose. But I hated myself for doing it. I wanted to talk to her afterwards, but she wouldn't hear me, not that I can blame her for that of course..."

"I don't know what to say." Remus downed the rest of his coffee. "What's happened since then?"

"She was furious with me about making her miss Ginny's wedding, then she passed out. We talked about it, and she started to apologize to me...that's the worse part of it, Remus, she blames herself for pushing me".

"Merlin".

At that moment, the fire place roared, and Tonks appeared on the other side of the room, dusting herself off. When she looked up and saw Sirius, her hair began to change, once again, to a bright shade of red, and she glowered at him from the fireplace.

"Sirius Black. How could you?" she demanded, storming across the room to stand over him.

"You told Dora?" Remus asked incredulously, turning to Sirius.

"So you knew, Remus, that he hit the poor girl?! Thanks for telling me!" Tonks glared at her husband.

"I didn't want to upset you..."

"Why, because I'm pregnant? At least I'm not married to a wife-beater!" she spat at Sirius. "I wasn't going to say anything, Hermione asked me not to, but since you're here-"

"Hermione told you?" Sirius asked, although it was pretty obvious.

"I spotted the bruises, you monster," Tonks snarled. "She didn't have to say anything, although she tried to defend you. How could you do that to her? She's a child".

"Dora, sit down, you-"

"Don't tell me what to do, Remus!" Sirius could say nothing as she scowled at both the men. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she doubled over slightly, clutching a near-by chair. "Owwww".

"Darling?" Remus rose immediately, and rushed to her side. "Is it the baby?"

Tonks nodded frantically, gritting her teeth. "We're going to St Mungo's; the baby's coming" she decided, holding her belly with one hand and clutching Remus with the other. "Sirius Black, I am not finished with you, but right now I need you to take Teddy home with you and take care of him until we're back. And for goodness sake, don't lose your temper".

Remus shot him a warning look, before helping his wife hobble towards the fireplace. "St Mungos!" he shouted, and they were gone.

Sirius stared after them into the fireplace, and swallowed, before remembering his task.

"Teddy...?" he called, unsure of how to find the child. As he soon realised, toddlers did not work like house-elves or dogs, but luckily he was alerted to Teddy's whereabouts by the faint sound of crying. He found his way to a room next to the living room, in which a cot was set up for Teddy. The boy had pulled himself to his feet, and was banging his little fists on the side of the cot. He stopped when he saw Sirius, regarding him warily, until he seemed to recognize his parents' friend and smiled.

Sirius picked him up awkwardly, holding him at arm's length as he squealed, delighted at the attention. He hastily walked back into Remus study – could toddler's use the floo network? Or should he apparate? Surely flooing would be alright; Tonks had done it...In the end he decided to use the Floo system, and stepped into the fireplace.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione was exhausted by the time it came to apparating home that night. She had enjoyed the feast, and was happy to see everyone looking so well (on the whole), but was sad to have to leave the mini-party which was taking place in the Gryffindor common room to celebrate their first day back.

She was also worried about Ron, who hadn't made an appearance. She could only assume that he and Astoria hadn't placated the Ministry yet.

She yawned as she got her balance in the entrance hall, but started and stood still as she thought she heard crying. It stopped briefly, but then started once again, confirming that she wasn't just imagining it.

"Sirius?" she called out, following her ears to the source of the crying, her wand outstretched. She cautiously opened the door to the library, and was confronted by a very unusual sight: Sirius was sitting, cross legged, on the rug in front of the fireplace, opposite a young child...

"Is that Teddy?!" Hermione asked, hurrying over to the pair of them. Teddy gurgled happily to see her, and she reached down and scooped him up into her arms. Sirius looked distinctly relieved, and clambered to his feet.

"Tonks went into labour," he explained, watching how Hermione was holding Teddy so naturally.

"When?" Hermione asked, letting Teddy tug on her school scarf.

"This morning," Sirius answered. "She told me to look after Teddy".

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I would've thought she'd take him to her mother...?"

"I was there..." Sirius explained.

"Oh". Hermione's eyes widened as she took in the implications. "You spoke to Tonks?"

"So did you..." Hermione looked away, and bit her lip. "I saw her at the wedding. I didn't..." she looked nervous. "Are you angry at me?"

"Godric, of course I'm not, Hermione! She said...she said that you tried to defend me when she saw the bruises?" Hermione nodded, cradling Teddy to her chest. "I've got no right to be defended. What I did was wrong..."

"I pushed you, what I said was horrible".

"Hermione, listen to me. What happened on Monday, wasn't your fault. Look at me." Hermione turned her head reluctantly to face him. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. You have no reason to try and defend me".

"You're my husband..." she replied, "I've got _every_ reason to defend you". Sirius contemplated her in stunned silence. She changed the subject as Teddy started to cry. "You've had Teddy since this morning? What have you done with him for all this time?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "We sat here...and then he needed to be changed, so I had to search around in the books to find instructions..." He looked embarrassed.

"Please tell me you didn't leave Teddy by the fire while you looked?"

Sirius looked a little sheepish. "No, I...levitated him around after me. I think he quite enjoyed it...I found a spell, eventually..."

"Oh my Merlin".

"Sela rustled up some baby food – she was actually very good with Teddy. And then...we sat by the fire again until you came in".

"Did you play with him?"

"I tried to talk to him..."

"You do realise he's less than a year old, don't you...?"

Sirius shrugged. "He changed his eye colour a few times – I was worried, until I remembered that it's normal for him..."

Hermione sighed, before smiling down at Teddy. "Did Uncle Sirius bore you, Teddy?" she cooed, rocking him in her arms. "Come on, let's sit down shall we?" She moved around to an armchair, and settled herself in it. "When do you think Tonks will be back?" she asked.

"I have no idea. How long does the whole thing normally last?"

"What, child birth? It depends...Maybe we should find him something to sleep in?" she suggested, all the while smiling down at Teddy.

"Sure, good idea...Like a cot, or something?"

"Yes, like a cot, or something." Hermione snapped back, but she kept her tone calm so as not to alarm Teddy. Sirius gulped.

"I'll see what I can do". He disappeared from the library, leaving Hermione to play with Teddy.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius rushed out of the library, and stopped to breath in the hallway. How could he be a father? He had no idea about babies, or pregnancy, or looking after children...He tried to take some deep, calming breaths to stop himself from panicking. He was shocked that Tonks had even thought about letting him near her son. Thank Merlin Hermione had got back when she had...

**[Please leave me a review! :-)]**


	12. Chapter 12

**Loving Him Was Red**

A Marriage Law Hermione/Sirius FanFiction

**By VenusInHerHair**

"Loving Him Was Red": Sirius receives a letter from the Ministry. Another marriage law fic! Hermione/Sirius. AU: After the war, Sirius is alive; Hermione is 18 and heading back to Hogwarts. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. Rated: M. 17+.

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 11! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/other seasonal holiday! FYI, if anyone's interested, I've made it my New Year's Resolution to finish "You Don't Know How Lovely You Are", my Lucius/Hermione story. You heard it here first, people! On another note, I'd really like to thank Unfinished Perfection for her advice about this story – enjoy! x]**

*AU: The Golden Trio are approaching the end of summer before returning once again to Hogwarts; having defeated Voldemort the previous year, the students have been invited to return to repeat the school year which was disrupted by the War. Sirius survived the Battle at the Ministry. Tonks is still alive. Hermione is nearly 18, and Sirius is in his mid-30s.*

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Hermione barely noticed that it took Sirius nearly an hour to produce a cot for Teddy, and even when he eventually brought it in, she preferred to hold Teddy in her arms than put him down.

She was entranced by the little boy; the way his little fist gripped onto her fifth finger; the way his hair was so soft when he stroked it; the way he gurgled appreciatively when she tickled his tummy. She'd never thought of herself as a particularly maternal person, but her natural reactions seemed to have been spot on where Teddy was concerned.

Sirius was being very quiet that evening. He sat down in a chair opposite Hermione and Teddy, and watched her closely. The loving smile she bestowed on the baby was one he wished she would direct at him one day, although as things were going it seemed unlikely.

Once again, Sirius felt the feelings of guilt resurfacing; they'd never really gone away since Monday, but he'd been trying to repress them by distracting himself. Seeing Hermione now, practically glowing as she cradled Teddy, he truly loathed himself. She did not deserve anything less than a knight in shining armour. How was it that she'd been landed with the villain? He swallowed the lump in his throat, and tried to compose himself.

When Hermione looked up at him, he was watching her intently, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"You're going to make such a great mother." She blushed, and looked back down at Teddy fondly.

"I hope so." It was barely a whisper.

There was comfortable silence for another quarter of an hour or so, Hermione talking softly to Teddy as Sirius watched surreptitiously, pretending to read the Daily Prophet. Then, the fire roared into life, and Remus appeared, looking dishevelled, but jubilant. Sirius rose to his feet, and went over to his friend.

"Moony, how's Tonks?"

Remus clasped his shoulders as he answered, his normally pale cheeks flushed in pleasure. "Tonks is absolutely fine, she did so well. She's back at home now, with our daughter". The pride in his voice was unmistakeable.

Sirius beamed at him. "A girl. How wonderful. Congratulations, my friend. What have you named her?"

"Her first name is Meredith, after my grandmother, and Dora has chosen Selene, after a good friend of hers who was killed in the War".

"They're beautiful names," Hermione said, standing up with Teddy, who was reaching out to his father, his hair lightening in excitement. She passed him over to Remus, a tad sad at having to give him up for the night. "And the baby's healthy?"

"Oh yes," Remus smiled, cuddling Teddy. "Just over 7 pounds, and 19 inches". He inspected his son. "It seems you've taken good care of Teddy. Thank you, both of you".

The Blacks smiled warmly as Remus took his leave, clearly anxious to get back to his expanding family. "Give our love to Tonks," Hermione called after him, as the green flames carried him home, and Hermione and Sirius were left alone. The library somehow felt emptier. Hermione let out a small sigh.

"I suppose I ought to go to bed. Today was pretty tiring". She turned to leave.

"Hermione, wait". She turned to face him in the doorway, hoping he'd make this quick. "I got an owl from Molly earlier. About Ron". Now he had Hermione's full attention.

"And?" she asked impatiently.

"He's OK – it seems that he and Astoria did what the Ministry wanted, in terms of...well, you know, and they can leave the house now. You should see Ron tomorrow at Hogwarts. They've also had their wands returned to them".

"That's it?" Hermione asked suspiciously. It seemed like they'd got off peculiarly lightly for their non-compliance.

Sirius shrugged. "Apparently Arthur kicked up a fuss, and paired with the Greengrasses' influence it worked. He argued that it was unlawful to place a charm of minors and only inform them of it after it had taken effect. Which is absolutely right, of course".

"So Ron's OK? There won't be any more repercussions?" It seemed too...easy.

"Actually, there will be repercussions, but there relatively minor, when you consider the alternatives..." Hermione knew he meant Azkaban. "Molly says that the Ministry have told them that they're going to be under even closer surveillance until Astoria falls pregnant".

"What does that mean?"

"In short, the Ministry is threatening to monitor their 'intimate relations' more...directly, if they don't comply twice a week. They have the power to send an official along to...ensure that the union takes place, as it were".

"You mean that somebody would watch them?!" Hermione asked, absolutely disgusted. Sirius nodded grimly.

"Wouldn't it be easier to re-pair them, rather than go to all that hassle?"

Sirius shook his head this time. "The Ministry is too proud to admit that they might have made a mistake. And you know that divorces aren't allowed in the Wizarding World. The only way to break them up now is to kill one of them..." He trailed off, his attempt at a joke falling flat as he remembered that murder probably wasn't off limits for the Ministry.

"But surely they could annul the marriage?"

"It's too late for that now anyway, but I don't think the Ministry would allow it. Again, it's too much hassle for them, and, in their eyes, embarrassing with it".

"So, they're stuck together forever?" By 'they're', Hermione meant 'we're', and they both knew it.

"It would seem that way. Magical marriages are for life, pet, more so now than ever before".

"Please don't call me that". Hermione snapped, taking Sirius by surprise. She hadn't minded it before, had found it endearing, even, but after Sirius had informed her that she was, in the eyes of the law at least, his possession, she was finding 'pet' rather hard to stomach.

"Sorry". Sirius didn't know what to say next.

"I think I'll go to bed now".

"What time will you leave in the morning?"

"Eight thirty, latest. I'll be having breakfast at Hogwarts".

"I'd rather you have breakfast here". Hermione glared at him from her position in the doorway.

"Why?"

Sirius shuffled uncomfortably, trying to think of a reasonable answer. In the end he gave in. "Never mind. We'll have breakfast together at the weekend".

"Fine." Hermione snapped, and turned heel. This time she actually got out of the door. Sirius sighed and summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey. He didn't bother with a glass.

*.*.*.*.*

"Hermione!" Lavender hissed, nudging her friend in the ribs to get her attention. Hermione was jolted back to reality, and was alerted to the front of the classroom, where Professor McGonagall was tapping her wand on her desk impatiently.

"Are you with us, Miss Granger?" she asked, making Hermione jump.

"Yes, Professor, I'm sorry." She blushed profusely at having been caught daydreaming, and quickly dipped her quill into the nearest ink-pot, pulling Lavender's parchment closer so as to copy up the notes she'd missed.

McGonagall shook her head in disappointment, but continued with her lesson. She had no wish to publicly humiliate her favourite student, even if she had clearly been elsewhere for the past hour.

"For next lesson, I'd like you too..." McGonagall's voice faded away for Hermione as she fell back into her thoughts. Today was Friday. Transfiguration was the last lesson of the day. She was due home before six. She didn't know what Sirius had planned, but he'd made it clear to her that she wasn't to stay for dinner at Hogwarts.

She was startled by the sound of chairs scraping the floor as her classmates rose to their feet, and started to pack away their belongings. Hermione hastily dried her quill with magic and slid her books into her bag.

"Miss Granger - a word". McGonagall was standing behind her mahogany desk at the front of the classroom. Hermione suppressed a sigh and hesitantly made her way to the front to stand before the Headmistress. McGonagall waited until the door had shut behind the last student before she spoke, her voice gentle.

"Is everything alright, Hermione? You seem very distracted today. Has something happened?"

Hermione gulped. What could she say? "I'm sorry, Professor, I'm just a little tired. I was up last night with Teddy Lupin: Tonks asked Sirius and me to look after him while she was in hospital".

"Ah yes, I heard about little Meredith. Isn't it wonderful news?"

"It is." Hermione agreed, attempting a smile which didn't meet her eyes.

"There's nothing bothering you?" McGonagall persisted, not satisfied with Hermione's excuse of fatigue. Hermione had spent her first six years at Hogwarts studying late into the night – it wasn't like her to suffer from tiredness.

Hermione shook her head, and tried to look happy. "I'm fine, thank you. It's very kind of you to ask, though".

McGonagall sighed inwardly, but didn't push her further. "Well then, I'll see you at dinner."

"Actually, I'm going home in a few minutes. I might be back tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet..." She trailed off, hating the fact that it was no longer simply her choice, but Sirius' too.

McGonagall smiled sympathetically and watched Hermione leave. She had lost her old purposeful walk, and her shoulders weren't held as high as they once were. She could only hope that Sirius was treating her well.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius pointed his wand at the final candle in the row, and stepped back to survey the room. He had enlisted Sela's help to decorate the dining room in what he hoped was a romantic style, but now he was wondering if it was too much.

When he heard the pop of apparition in the entrance hall, he quickly checked himself over in mirror. He had donned a crisp white shirt tucked into dark bluish-grey jeans. He wanted to look like he'd made an effect, but didn't want to intimidate his wife by going over the top.

He met Hermione in the hall. She looked slightly suspicious as he approached her, noticing his attire. "Hi," she said warily, holding her ground as Sirius leant in to kiss her on the cheek.

"I've got a little surprise for you," Sirius murmured into her ear as he straightened up. He took her bag and set it aside, placing a light hand on the small of her back as he led her into the dining room.

Hermione's eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. The thick red curtains were drawn, a white table cloth lay across the table, which had been transfigured so that it now seated two and not eight, and someone had placed candles along the sideboard to the left of the table. Two red roses from the garden had been placed in a vase in the centre of the table.

"What...why?" Hermione asked quietly. Sirius' heart sunk. It was too much, too soon.

"I wanted to try to make tonight a bit special". His ultimate prayer had been that he could seduce her, although it was a lot to ask, and he had little confidence that it would work. "I cooked myself..."

"You cooked?" Hermione sounded shocked.

"Well, the house-elves helped me...But I did chop the vegetables and make the sauce.". He sounded so proud of his contribution that Hermione couldn't help but smile.

He pulled out her chair for her, pushing her back towards the table once she was seated. He collected a bottle of wine from the sideboard, and poured her a glass.

"Cheers."

"Cheers." They touched glasses, and each took a long sip.

"How was your first day back?" Sirius asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Not too terrible," Hermione answered vaguely, leaving out the fact that she'd been miles away in worry for most of her lessons. "There's a new Dark Arts professor".

"Oh yes?"

"I haven't met him yet, but Harry says he seems like he knows what he's doing".

"Do any of you really need to take Defence classes anymore?"

Hermione shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe not. But we still need to study for our N.E.W.T.S. Besides, you can never learn everything through battle, can you?"

"I guess not," Sirius replied, taking another sip of his wine. His wand buzzed in his pocket. "That's time. I'll be right back with the food".

Hermione smiled weakly and shifted in her seat, looking around properly. Sirius really had made an effort; unfortunately, the smells coming from the kitchen were less than appetising.

Sirius reappeared, carrying two warm plates and a casserole dish, which he set down between them. Hermione tried not to wrinkle her nose as he opened the lid, revealing a suspicious looking stew of sorts. Sirius' eyebrows knitted together as he looked down at his creation.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, trying to sound intrigued and not disgusted.

"It's mushroom and chicken stew. The house-elves used to make it for us when I was a kid. It used to look...different to this".

"Did you follow a recipe?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Err...not really. I didn't think it could be that hard to make a stew". He gulped, before plunging the serving spoon in and setting a spoonful of lumpy brown 'stew' on Hermione's plate. She picked up her napkin and took her time spreading it across her legs, before braving a closer look. It was hard to tell what was chicken and what was mushroom.

Sirius put the lid back on the casserole dish, and sat down again. "Well...enjoy," he said, hesitantly lifting his spoon. He took the tiniest amount and brought it to his lips, as Hermione did the same. Hermione inhaled sharply as the taste hit her tongue, and swallowed quickly, prompting a short coughing fit as an un-chewed piece of something made its way down her throat. Sirius passed her the water, grimacing as he swallowed his own mouthful.

Having recovered herself, Hermione went in for a second spoonful, her face purposeful. Sirius had made a real effort, and the last thing she wanted to do was offend his culinary prowess.

"Hermione, stop. You don't have to eat that. It's bloody awful. I'll get the house-elves to make us something else". He rose to his feet, his napkin falling to the floor, and began to clear the plates.

"Wait, I'll cook something. I don't mind". The thought of spending some time alone was one Hermione felt particularly drawn to. Sirius nodded.

"If you're sure, that would be lovely". Hermione rose and followed him through to the kitchen. The house-elves had vacated it, leaving the large room empty. Sirius set down the plates by the sink, as Hermione searched the fridge to see what was available. It was fully stocked, as were the cupboard above her head. It seemed that all options were open to her.

"What would you like to eat?" she asked Sirius, who was leaning against a counter. He must have summoned his glass from the next room, because he was sipping his wine. He looked so tired.

"I don't mind - anything you want to cook. What's your favourite food?"

Hermione stopped to think about it as she washed her hands. It was such a 'normal' question, it felt so...domestic. "I've always had a soft spot for a good penne dish. It's real comfort food". Sirius looked concerned, so she continued hastily, "Not that we need...I didn't mean it like that. It's just it reminds me of my childhood, before all of this".

Sirius smiled encouragingly. "There should be pasta in the cupboard to your right". Hermione found the pasta she wanted, and set about taking an onion, three tomatoes, and a red pepper from the fridge. She found a chopping board and knife on the kitchen island, and set about preparing the onion.

"Can I help you?" Sirius asked.

"No no, it's fine. This won't take me too long. You can go and sit down, if you'd like..."

"I want to help". Sirius' expression genuine. He even rolled up his sleeves and set the wine glass down to the side. "What shall I do?"

Hermione sighed inwardly. She wouldn't be getting her time alone. "You can prepare the tomatoes". She placed the tomatoes in front of him, and slid a jug along the counter top. Sirius looked at it blankly.

"What's this for?"

"You need to boil some water, and cut little crosses in the tops of the tomatoes," she said, moving around to stand next to him to demonstrate. They both went in to grab the same tomato, and their hands brushed briefly. Sirius swallowed, and moved his hand away. "Then you put the tomatoes in the water to soften them briefly. When you take them out, you peel them from the cross downwards. Then all you need to do is chop them". She stepped away from him, and went back to her board.

"OK," Sirius said, and muttered a charm to set some boiling water into the jug as he slowly carved crosses into the tomatoes.

"What kind of music do you like?" he asked as he worked, taking Hermione by surprise once again that night.

"What?" she asked, moving onto the pepper.

"Favourite book? Hermione, I feel like I barely know you. I want to know you". His voice was so sincere that Hermione felt compelled to answer without any argument.

"I've always liked folk music - Muggle, that is. And some American country music. I tend to like most genres, other than heavy rock, you know? My favourite book? I don't know...I used to love historical romances..."

"Really?" Sirius sounded surprised.

"Why not?"

"No reason, I just didn't take you for the romance type..."

"It's not like...erotica". Hermione said defensively. "I just appreciate the love stories. What about you?"

"I like thrillers. I used to be partial to crime novels...not so much in recent years..." He trailed off awkwardly, beginning to peel the tomatoes.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course, Hermione."

"What do you actually do with the Aurors?"

Sirius looked taken aback by her question. "Have I never even told you that?" She shook her head. "I supervise Aurors in training during the day, and on Tuesday and Wednesdays when I work late I help with some of the tougher cases".

"Is it dangerous?" Hermione asked, suddenly curious.

Sirius shrugged, wiping his hands on a tea-towel. "It can be. But I'm very good". Somehow, he managed to come across as reassuring and not arrogant.

"Will you put the tomatoes in the saucepan with the onions, and boil more water for the pasta, please?"

"Sure," Sirius said, pleased to be able to help. As he moved round to the cooker, he brushed up against Hermione from behind. She froze as he moved past, careful not to knock her as she de-seeded the peppers. He heard her exhale when he was no longer touching her.

Hermione turned to stand next to him, and dropped the peppers into the sauce. "Shouldn't be long now". She happened to look at up him, and caught him watching her, his head titled to the side slightly. They were standing so close, she could smell his cologne. Sirius' eyes flickered down to her lip, which she was biting nervously, then back up to her eyes. She was still looking up at him.

The onions started to sizzle in the pan, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to break the eye contact. Sirius inclined his head towards her, and leant down slightly, all the while searching her eyes. He stopped a few inches away from her face, their foreheads almost touching. Hermione swallowed, and shut her eyes, half expecting him to kiss her. When he didn't, she opened her eyes to find him straightened up, but still watching her.

"I think the sauce is ready," he said, never breaking the eye contact. Hermione cleared her throat, and turned to the pan, twisting the knob to turn off the gas.

"Yep," she said simply, and carefully lifted the pasta pan off the hob, draining it at the sink as Sirius found more plates. She served up in silence, but she could feel Sirius' presence dangerously close behind her. She accidentally brushed against him once again as she turned to carry the plates into the dining room. Sirius followed her.

**[Please leave me a review! :-) And THANK YOU so much to everyone who's followed this story! I've hit the 100 mark, which is a personal record. Very exciting. x]**


	13. Chapter 13

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 12! Lemons coming up in this chap - you have been warned! x]**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

"Hermione, that was delicious. Thank you. I'm only sorry that you had to cook your own dinner - I wanted to treat you tonight". Sirius was leaning back in his chair, finishing off a second half-glass of wine. The two had just finished eating.

The dinner had actually gone remarkably well, despite a shaky start, Sirius mused as he looked over to his wife, who was gently dabbing the corners of his mouth with her napkin. Conversation had been relatively easy as they ate; they'd discusses Hogwarts, and Sirius' job, and who they thought might be Baby Meredith's godparents. Sirius had gently teased Hermione at points, and she'd taken it well. She'd even giggled at one point.

"It's not a problem; I actually enjoyed cooking". Hermione blushed as she remembered what else she'd enjoyed in the kitchen.

The fact that it was in fact Friday was an elephant in the room, but it was tucked into a far corner, and had remained quiet all evening. Besides which, the short physical contact in the kitchen had left Hermione's heart beating faster from excitement, rather than from fear or nerves, for the first time in their short relationship, and Sirius could tell. Inexplicably, something had changed between them. As she drained her glass, she looked relaxed, not as if she dreaded his next move.

Sirius rose to his feet and came to stand behind Hermione, planning to pull her chair out for her. When she showed no signs of moving, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders instead. He slowly started to massage, and she made no protests. Her shoulders were warm and soft, but Sirius could feel the tension in them.

He stated to apply firm pressure to each side of her neck, moving inward with circular motions until he felt Hermione relax under his ministrations, and saw her put down her glass. Next he moved downwards to the base of her neck, using only the tips of his fingers to brush over her skin. By the time that he'd got to massaging the muscle of her shoulders, Hermione was making little appreciative noises in her throat, which pleased Sirius immensely. She almost moaned when he stopped, and stretched her neck back and to the sides, her eyes shut in contentment.

He gently pulled out her chair, and she got up, brushing her skirt down so that it was a decent length. She turned to face Sirius, who had pushed the chair back under the table and was looking rather smug after his successful massage.

They both stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move. Whoever left the dining room first would determine whether they were heading into the library, or straight upstairs. In the end, sensing that Hermione would be perfectly content standing as she was for a considerable amount of time, Sirius decided to take the lead. He was reluctant to go into the library - they always seemed to argue in that room. Instead, he took her by the hand and led her slowly up the stairs.

Hermione's heart rate tripled as they began to climb the stairs, Sirius a step in front of her. When they reached the door of her bedroom, Sirius stopped and turned to face her. "Do you want a few minutes alone?" he asked softly, reaching up to brush a stray piece of hair behind her ear. It reminded Hermione of their first night together, when Sirius had left her alone after they'd returned from the wedding. It was less than a week ago. So much had happened since then...

She shook her head; "No, I'm OK." She knew that giving herself time to panic and worry wouldn't do her any good. Although she still hadn't completely forgiven Sirius, she wasn't frightened of him, especially when he was acting the way he was that evening. And although up until now she hadn't felt wholly comfortable in his presence, now, whether from the wine and massage or his general behaviour she didn't know, she was beginning to relax. She couldn't hide the fact that she had enjoyed the massage, which a few days before would have put her on edge.

Sirius smiled reassuringly and slipped his arm around her waist, leading her along the corridor to his room. He held the door open for Hermione to enter first, and shut it behind him. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck, inhaling the scent of her thick hair. "I want to try something..." he murmured, as Hermione shut her eyes and tried to embrace the feelings he was stirring up deep within her.

"Mmmm," was her soft answer, and Sirius smiled as he kissed her neck.

"Close your eyes," he commanded softly, although they already were. "Now, stay there, I'll be right back". She heard Sirius moving away from her and stood her ground, keeping her eyes shut, although part of her was dying to see what he was doing. _He won't hurt you_, she tried to remind herself. She swallowed in anticipation as she sensed him returning. "I want to blindfold you, Hermione," he said, his voice low. "I can take it off anytime you want. Is that OK?"

Hermione swallowed. Did she trust him enough to do this? Her sense of reason battled with her increasingly aroused state. Her emotions won, in the end, and she decided that she did trust him - enough to do this, at least. Besides, her wand was in her pocket, and she'd make sure to keep it close.

"Yes." Her voice was confident enough to reassure Sirius that she meant it, and wasn't simply trying to please him. He stood behind her and placed a satin scarf over her eyes, tying it in a loose double knot at the back, no where near so tight that it would be hard to remove quickly.

"If I do anything you don't like, just tell me stop and I'll stop. Alright?" Hermione nodded her understanding. "The blindfold will enhance your remaining senses. Just try to _feel. _I want you to enjoy this."

He moved around to stand in front of her, and began to slowly untie her school tie, letting it skim her skin as he pulled it off her and dropped it to the floor. "Lift your arms," he ordered, and she obeyed. He tugged her jumper off, and began to undo her buttons with skilled fingers, pushing her white shirt down over her shoulders so that it could fall to the floor.

Hermione shivered slightly as a cool draught hit her, but her mind was soon on other matters as Sirius pulled her closer to him and kissed her lips gently, gradually increasing the pressure until she opened her mouth to him. He moaned as she tentatively brought her hands up to his hair, and he cradled the back of her neck to hold her as close as was possible. He could feel her relax into the kiss, and tugged on her ponytail, which she seemed to like.

Sirius kept a close hold on Hermione as he walked them back towards his bed, moving slowly so that she could keep her balance. He didn't want to do anything that might alarm her. As far as he was concerned, this evening was about regaining her trust. He stopped when the backs of her legs hit the bed, and moved his hands down to the waistband of her skirt, undoing the button so that it easily slid to the ground. He helped her step out of it, before breaking the kiss to drop to his knees in front of her.

Hermione's heart was racing, her chest rising and falling as she tried to predict what Sirius would do next. He grasped the top of her black tights and began to slide them down her legs, revealing her black knickers. He slowly removed her tights, telling her to hold onto his shoulders for balance. Once she'd stepped out them, she was left in only her matching black bra and panties.

Sirius stood again, and kissed her once more, this time running his hands up and down her sides. His hands lingered when he reached her pant-line, feeling the dimples at the bottom of her spine with affection. He ran his hands back up her hips and over her waist, before reaching behind her to unhook her bra. Hermione took a deep breath before slipping her arms out of the straps, and the garment fell to the floor between them. Sirius wanted to take a moment to step back and admire her, but he didn't want to break his contact with her. There'd be plenty of time for that later, he hoped, if all went to plan.

He gently cupped her breasts in his hands, as if weighing them, before going over her hardened nipples with his thumbs for the briefest of seconds. Hermione inhaled sharply and groaned slightly, pulling him closer to her with her hands still buried in his hair.

"What do you want me to do, love?" he asked, his voice low and sensual, giving away his own desire, although Hermione had already felt his hardened length against her stomach as he kissed her. Knowing how much he wanted her only encouraged her.

"Anything..." she groaned, feeling goosebumps prick on her forearms as he ran the tips of his nails over her arms and bare back.

"Tell me, Hermione," he commanded, his voice firm. His enhanced animagus sense of smell alerted him to the fact that she was becoming aroused, and he wanted to make this as good as possible for her.

"Kiss me," she moaned softly, her fingers twisting in his hair.

"Where?" he asked, prompting her to tug on his hair in frustration.

"Here," she said, grasping his hand and pulling it down to her breast so that he was touching her there again. "Please, Sirius..."

His wicked smirk would probably have infuriated her if her eyesight hadn't been cut off, but as it was she was more concerned with what Sirius was doing to her. She'd never felt these feelings before. The intensity of them were starting to make her loose control of her sense of reason.

Sirius started to massage her breasts, but now had a better idea, and took her by surprise by scooping her up with an arm under her knees, and dispositing her on the bed, before quickly removing his tightening trousers as she squealed in surprise. He clambered on top of her, his crotch pressing into her as he leant down to capture her left nipple in his mouth. She groaned loudly and arched her back in response. He sucked and blew gently until she began to writhe beneath him, before moving on to her right breast, and repeating the same.

"Good girl..." Sirius murmured, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of her stomach as he ran his nose down her body. He hooked his thumbs into the tops of her knickers and began to drag them down her legs, noting how Hermione's breathing increased as he did so. He feared it was out of nerves, or even worse, fear, but from the dampness of her knickers he was confident it was her arousal. The thought only made him harder.

Hermione propped herself up on her elbows and pulled off the blindfold, watching Sirius as he sat back on his heels and removed his tented boxers. Her eyes strayed down to his impressive length, and she quickly lay back down and looked away. Sirius chuckled. "It's alright, love, you're allowed to look". Hermione blushed.

Sirius moved over her, supporting his weight so as not to crush her. He leant down and kissed her deeply, running a hand down between their bodies. Hermione tensed up a little when she realized what he was going to do, and tried to pull his arm away. Sirius let her without a fight; he needed her to trust him not to do anything she didn't want him to. He returned his hand to her hair, and stroked the side of her face gently to relax her again, nibbling the skin beneath her ear. He was desperate to enter her, but was determined to wait until she wanted him.

Hermione's arms found their way around his neck, and she pulled him close to her. She could feel him, hard, against her lower stomach. "Please, Sirius..." she moaned softly, arching her back as he gently sucked on her neck. "I'm ready..."

Sirius didn't need telling twice. He pulled away and looked down at her, his eyes dark with desire. "You're sure?"

She nodded her head slowly, and brought her hands up into his hair, tugging slightly. "Tell me to stop and I'll stop, understand?" he asked, his voice strained as he postponed his own satisfaction for another moment. She nodded again, and he lined himself up with her entrance, pleased to be able to feel wetness on his tip.

He moved into her slowly, letting her body acclimatize to his size. Hermione moaned, and wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to pull him in further, as Sirius let out a long breath through his mouth as he felt her tight walls around him.

Once he was fully in, he waited for a moment, before pulling most of the way out and thrusting back in quickly, eliciting a loud moan from Hermione. "Ahhh" she cried out, her head tipped back on the pillow. He gave her little time to catch her breath before he started moving again, and Hermione gasped with each thrust, as unfamiliar feelings welled inside of her. He felt her breath quicken, before she suddenly tossed her head to the side and her body shuddered beneath him.

Sirius grasped her hips and thrust twice more, and when he could hold on no longer he let himself go, growling her name. When he had stilled, he remained on top of her for a moment, savoring the feeling of her body underneath his, warm and soft and utterly relaxed.

He caught his breath and pulled out of how carefully, rolling onto his side as he murmured a cleansing charm over them both. He flopped back on his pillow, and threw an arm over his eyes as he breathed heavily.

Hermione lay very still, trying to catch her own breath as Sirius collapsed beside her. She could feel the warmth radiating off his body, and smell their combined sweat and his cologne. As she gazed up at the canopy of the bed above her, a feeling of panic and shame washed over, and the memories of their last time came flooding back to her.

She sat up suddenly, and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she tried not to cry. Sirius felt the bed move beside him and looked up. Hermione was shaking, curled into a sitting-fetal position. He sat up quickly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to cradle her to him, but she pulled away and began to sob.

"Hey...hey," he said soothingly, moving to sit himself opposite her at the other end of the bed. He tentatively ran a hand over her hair, but stopped when she shook him off, still hiding her face from his concerned gaze. "Did I hurt you?" She made no response. Sirius ran a hand through his hair in worry and frustration. He couldn't do anything until she told him what was wrong.

"Hermione, please talk to me, love". He reached for a blanket and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders. "Are you hurt?" he asked again. "Hermione, please!" He tried again to touch her, to try to comfort her somehow.

"Get off me!" she screeched, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up, holding the blanket around her for modesty's sake. "Don't touch me, I don't want your hands on me!"

Sirius' jaw dropped open, and he blinked in confusion, holding his hands up in surrender. "Hermione, love, I-"

"Don't call me that!" she hissed, backing away from him. "I'm not your 'love'. Don't you get it?"

Sirius gulped, and rose to his feet slowly, keeping his hands in the air so as not to alarm her. "Hermione, please talk to me. I don't know what I've done..."

She laughed sarcastically. "Really?! Don't you? Because I think you know exactly what you've done". She tried to swallow and sob and brought one hand up to cover her mouth as she inhaled erratically. "Don't follow me".

Sirius could only watch in despair as she bolted from the room.

**[What do you think? I really can't tell if I'm happy with this chapter or not...Please leave me a review and tell me what you think about it x]**


	14. Chapter 14

**Loving Him Was Red**

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

**[Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for your reviews - please keep 'em coming, they help me so much! x]**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Hermione spent the whole of the evening locked in her room. Although she'd cast the same charms as she had the last time, this time Sirius knew better than to remove them and invade her privacy, but instead he tried to talk to her through her locked door. She couldn't hear him very clearly from her position on her bed, where she'd been crying, but when the muffled sound of his voice didn't go away after a half-hour, her curiosity got the better of her, and although she still pretended that she wasn't listening, she moved herself and sat with her back to the door, listening to what Sirius was saying to her.

"Hermione, I don't know if you can hear me or not..." His voice was soft, but he made sure to keep it loud enough that, if Hermione was listening, she'd be able to understand him. He'd said the same things over and over, but kept on repeating them, at a loss for what else he could say. He sounded exhausted.

"I'm sorry, and I know that apologizing isn't enough, and it never will be enough, but I don't know what else I can do, Hermione...I want to make you happy, and I've been so stupid, and awful to you...I've done so many things that I regret over the last week, Hermione...You probably won't believe me, but I think I hate myself more than you hate me...I have no excuse for what I've done to you, but I need you to know that if I could go back and change it all, I would in an instant". Hermione lowered her head into her hands, and sniffled quietly as she listened. She couldn't bring herself to reply.

"I've never been so ashamed of myself as I am right now..." He slapped the palm of his hand against the door in frustration, and on the other side of the door Hermione jumped slightly.

"Hermione, please...I don't expect you to come out here, I certainly don't expect you to let me in, but please talk to me. I know that you don't trust me, I know that you hate me right now, but I could never hate you...I only want to make things better...You make me want to be better..." Hermione heard him sigh. They were less than a meter away from each other, but Sirius had never felt further away from anyone, even from the dark depths of Azkaban.

"Hermione..." The desperation in his voice only made her cry harder, but still she couldn't open the door. She just couldn't. She heard him moving on the other side of the door, and guessed that he was giving up for the evening, but he hadn't finished.

"Hermione, I'm starting to worry about you in there. I don't know if you can hear me or not...I'm not going to come in, if you don't want to see me now then I respect that, but I am worried, sweetheart." He paused, hoping that she'd let him know that she was OK. Maybe she wasn't, he thought, and his heart beat rose in alarm...What if she was injured? When he spoke again, Hermione could sense the panic in his voice.

"Hermione, please, you don't have to talk to me, just knock on your side of the door, or call out, please, just do something so that I know you're not hurt". As angry and confused as she was, Hermione couldn't bear to ignore him any longer. She rose shakily to her feet, and took a deep breath before lifting the charms on the door, and twisting the door knob. As she opened it, Sirius nearly fell into the room; he had been resting his forehead against the door.

"Hermione, thank Merlin." He exhaled deeply and looked her over. Her face was blotchy and red from where she'd been crying for so long, and her hair had knotted slightly at the back. She was still wrapped in the blanket he'd given her, but he glimpsed a nightshirt underneath. She watched him warily, biting her lip.

"Did you hear anything that I just said?" Sirius asked, his voice anxious. Hermione swallowed and looked down, nodding slightly. Sirius exhaled.

"I heard, Sirius, but...I don't want to talk about it right now". Her voice was quiet and he had to lean down slightly to catch what she was saying. His own voice was hoarse when he replied.

"I understand. Do you need anything?"

Hermione shook her head. "Could you...could you see if Ginny could come here?"

This took Sirius by surprise. "Now?"

"She's probably busy..."

"No, no, of course I'll see if she can come round now. What do you want me to tell her?"

Hermione thought about it briefly: "Just tell her that I really need to speak to her, if she's not too busy".

Sirius nodded and turned on his heel, heading towards his study. He stopped when he heard Hermione say something else, although it was barely more than a whisper. "Thank you."

*.*.*.*.*

It was nearly nine p.m. when Sirius flooed into Grimmauld Place. He found the kitchen empty, but could hear the muffled sounds of chatter from the dining room. He knocked tentatively on the door, and the room went quiet. They clearly weren't expecting visitors.

"It's only me, Sirius. Don't worry," he called, and the door swung open to reveal Molly, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Sirius! What a lovely surprise". Her voice sounded slightly strained, but Sirius was more concerned with finding Ginny. He scanned the room, but only Arthur was there, reading the Daily Prophet at the end of the table. He smiled up at Sirius, but appeared quite engrossed in whatever he was reading about.

"Molly, I'm sorry to barge in on you. Is Ginny here? Hermione needs her".

"Is Hermione alright?"

Sirius gulped. "She...she really wants to see Ginny. Is she here?"

Molly looked suspicious, but stepped past Sirius into the hallway and called up the stairs for Ginny, who appeared moments later, leaning over the banister. "What is it, Mum, Neville and I are busy, we were-" she stopped when she noticed Sirius. "Sirius. Is everything OK?"

"Ginny, would you please come and see Hermione? She's upset, and she really wants to speak to you". His tone told Ginny that this was serious, and she nodded, before disappearing back into a room. Molly and Sirius heard her say something to Neville, before she reappeared and hurried down the stairs, pulling an oversized cream jumper over her head as she did.

"Thank you," Sirius said to no one in particular, marching back into the kitchen, Ginny close behind him.

"Sirius, what's-"

"You go first." Ginny sighed, but did as he said and stepped into the fire place.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione paced her room until she heard footsteps approaching. She had summoned Sela, who had brought her a tray with two cups and tea, but she couldn't settle.

"Hermione, it's Ginny. Can I come in?"

Hermione opened the door, and was pleased to see Sirius disappearing down the corridor. She threw her arms around Ginny, and kicked the door behind her.

"Hermione, are you OK?" Ginny pulled away and held Hermione at arm's length. The older girl shook her head and began to cry, covering her mouth with both hands. "Hermione! Come and sit down". Ginny steered her to the sofa, and sat down next to her. "What's happened?"

"I'm just..." Hermione tried to speak through her sobs, "Sirius...I'm so confused about everything, Ginny..."

"Try to breathe, Hermione, it's OK". She rubbed her back soothingly and waited for her to stop crying so hard. "What happened? I thought things were going well?"

Hermione shook her head. "On Monday...I didn't tell you, but..." She tried to hold back another sob, and compose herself before carrying on. "We had an argument. We were both so angry with each other..." She contemplated telling Ginny about what had happened in the library, but decided against it. It would only make Ginny livid at Sirius, which she would probably be by the end of the story anyway. "We'd agreed to have sex on Mondays and Fridays, and...I didn't want to. I said no, because I was so angry, but Sirius insisted".

Ginny's eyes widened considerably. "He made you?"

Hermione looked away. "He...no, in the end I gave up fighting him. I didn't want to do it, but I let him...". Ginny stared at Hermione in shock. She couldn't imagine Sirius being so cruel, and didn't know what to say. "He...he scared me, Ginny. I'd never seen that side of him...And then tonight...he was so gentle and considerate. I enjoyed it." She whispered it, as if it was a crime. "But then afterwards, I remembered Monday, and I just couldn't lie there next to him. I remembered how scared I was, and..." She started to cry again and stopped talking.

"Hermione, I had no idea...why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you. You had Neville to think about, and I thought you might be angry, and-"

"Of course I'm bloody angry!" Ginny cut in, "That bastard raped my best friend! I'm furious!"

"Ginny, sshh. Don't say that-"

"What, RAPE?!" Ginny said, loudly. "Why, Hermione? Because that's what he did to you. You do realize that, don't you?"

"He was angry, Ginny, he hates himself for it. We had to do it, anyway. And he didn't rape me, he didn't hurt me, and in the end I let him do it..."

"But you didn't want to?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, no, but-"

"Well there you are then, Hermione". Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it...He should pay for what he did".

"I am angry with him, Ginny, I really am. But...he's my husband...You know how it works..."

Ginny nodded grimly, although she didn't want to accept the fact. "Did he apologize to you?"

"Multiple times. I want to forgive him, but I just can't trust him, not yet".

Ginny contemplated her friend. Colour had risen in her cheeks with her anger. "What are you going to do?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders dejectedly. "I don't know."

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius left Ginny outside Hermione's door, and went straight down to the library, where he flooed to Remus' house. He didn't particularly want to face Tonks, but he needed to speak to Remus. Besides, he guessed that pretty soon Ginny would be as angry as Tonks was.

Remus was in his study when Sirius arrived, slumped across his desk. Sirius could hear the baby crying from upstairs. Remus sat up suddenly when he sensed someone in the room, and pointed his wand at Sirius, until he realized who it was, and stifled a yawn.

"Ah, Padfoot," he said, propping himself up in his chair and lowering his wand. "How are things?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Moony. How are Tonks and Meredith?"

Remus raised an eyebrow towards the noises that could be heard from above. "Meredith is hardly sleeping. Tonks has been sleeping through the day, and I'm sleeping at night - although by 'sleeping' I really mean 'trying not to be awake'. We're exhausted".

"Worse than it was with Teddy?"

"Only because we now have Teddy as well - he's not sleeping well either, what with Meredith crying. And we can't use silencing charms in case there's an emergency". He sighed, and gestured for Sirius to take a seat. "What brings you here?"

"I don't know what to do about Hermione."

"Ah. What's happened since we last spoke?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair as he thought about it. So much had happened. "We'd agreed that Mondays and Fridays would be the nights..." Remus nodded, and motioned for him to continue. "So this evening I decided to try to...I don't know what I was hoping for, exactly, but I tried to cook her a romantic dinner".

"How kind." Remus smiled encouragingly.

"Yes, well it didn't quite go to plan, but then Hermione took over and cooked and I helped her. There was...chemistry in the kitchen. And then we had a nice meal together. I ended up giving her a massage. She was relaxed, Moony, really relaxed".

"That's good. She's beginning to trust you."

"That's what I thought. We went to bed, and I thought she'd enjoyed it. She gave me no reason to think otherwise..."

"But?"

"Then afterwards, she sat up and started crying. And of course I tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't talk to me. She wouldn't even let me touch her. And then she ran from the room, and locked herself away".

"Do you know why?" Remus asked, his brow wrinkled as he tried to unpick the situation.

"She said: 'I think you know exactly what you've done'..." He gulped. "I went after her. I sat outside her door for half an hour and talked to her. I don't know if she heard any of it...In the end she opened the door," Sirius shook his head remembering it; "She looked like she'd been in tears the whole time. She asked me to get Ginny. She said she didn't want to talk about it".

"And you got Ginny?"

Sirius nodded. "She's with her now. And then I came here. I don't know what to do, Remus. What do I do?"

Remus contemplated his friend. "What do you want, exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to be spending the rest of your lives together. But you have a choice - you can either keep on going as you are, spending minimal amounts of time together, leading your separate lives as far as possible".

"I don't want that..."

Remus leaned in closer to Sirius. "Do you love her?"

Sirius' eyes widened. "I- -..."

"More to the point, do you want her to love you? Do you just want to be 'husband and wife' in name, or do you actually want to aim for a marriage?"

"I want her to be happy. She deserves so much more than what she's ended up with. I'd do anything to make her happy - that's all I want".

"I think you do love her."

Sirius shut his eyes and breathed deeply. His voice was hoarse: "How could I not?"

Remus' smile was almost triumphant. "Have you told her?"

Sirius turned back to face Remus. "I don't want to tell her now, not with the way things are. She hates me, and worse than that, I think she's scared of me, to some degree at least. She doesn't trust me. I have no right to tell her that I love her right now - it's only going to make things worse for her. It's not the right time".

Remus looked thoughtful. "You might be right. What you need to do is convince her to trust you again, before you can do anything else."

"I think it's going to take more than convincing. I thought after this evening...it had all gone so well. I can't undo what I did..."

"Maybe she just needs space, and time. Which is easier said than done. The fact is, as you said, it was all going well for the majority of the evening. She must trust you a little bit".

"But she can't forget".

"But you can prove to her that the man she saw on Monday night is not you. That you'd never do anything like it again. And once she knows that, she might be able to forgive you, given time."

"I really hope so."

Remus chuckled. "That is," he said, "If you survive my wife and Ginerva Longbottom".

"That's not funny," Sirius glared at Remus, and he stopped. Baby Meredith could still be heard crying above them. "Look, if there's anything I can do to help with the children, let me know...Babysitting, anything."

Remus patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you, Sirius. I'll let you know."

Sirius rose. "I'd better head back. See if Hermione's OK."

"Remember what I said, Padfoot. And don't forget, you are a good man, even if you don't believe it".

Sirius smiled half-heatedly and stepping into the fireplace. "You're a good friend, Moony."

*.*.*.*.*

"Do you love him?"

Hermione's voice broke the comfortable silence between the two girls. They were lying side by side on Hermione's bed, facing the ceiling.

"Definitely." Ginny turned and smiled at her friend, almost sadly.

"How can you tell?" Hermione asked, her voice croaky from her crying earlier. "It's so soon..."

"Neville makes me feel...special - even though we didn't have a choice in all this, it doesn't feel that way. When I'm with him I feel so...calm. It sounds cliched, but I feel complete. Even when we argue, we know that being together is more important than whatever it is we're disagreeing about. I can just tell, you know?"

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat. "I didn't know you were arguing?"

"I think everyone argues, 'Mione. It's never serious, just little things. We're learning to compromise." She laughed. "Well, I'm learning to compromise. Neville's a good compromiser..." She smiled fondly.

They heard footsteps outside, and soon there was a knock on the door. They sat up, Hermione reluctantly. "Come in," she called, hoping it might be Sela, although it seemed unlikely.

She was feeling much calmer than she had been earlier, and had come to accept the fact that she was going to have to talk to Sirius at some point. Even so, when he entered the room, she rather wished she could have had a little longer to herself.

**[Please leave me a review and tell me what you think x]**


	15. Chapter 15

**Loving Him Was Red**

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

**[I have recently discovered the song: "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars, and I am officially obsessed! Listening to it reminded me of Sirius and Hermione, which in turn made me even more obsessed! I've included a little reference to the lyrics in something Sirius says :p Anywayyy...Please review at the end and let me know what you think :) x ]**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Sirius stepped into Hermione's room hesitantly. Ginny and Hermione were perched on the end of the bed, and Sirius noticed Hermione giving Ginny what looked like a warning look.

"Hermione, is everything alright?"

She nodded and forced a smile on her lips, but didn't say anything. "Good." Rarely before had Sirius felt so awkward, especially not in his own home. "Well, if you need anything I'll be in my room. Goodnight." He turned quickly and was about to leave when Ginny stopped him:

"Wait a minute, I want to talk to you."

"Ginny, please-"

"It's fine, Hermione." Ginny cut her off, and marched across the room, shutting herself and Sirius on the other side, out of Hermione's earshot. She looked livid, and Sirius began to feel slightly intimidated, despite the fact that Ginny was a considerable amount shorter than him.

"Ginny, I-"

"Stop. Don't say anything, Black. As I'm sure you can imagine, Hermione's told me about what you did to her". Sirius swallowed and looked away. "Unfortunately there's very little I can do, but I want you to know that if the law was any different, I'd be doing everything I could to make sure you paid for what you did. As it stands, please note that if you ever do anything to hurt my friend again, in any way, I will personally ensure that you regret it". Sirius nodded grimly.

"If Hermione wasn't so against the idea, I'd be hexing you right now. Isn't that ironic -," she said sarcastically, "She's protecting you." Sirius refrained from telling Ginny about the protective charms on his house.

"I swear to you that I will never intentionally hurt Hermione again. I hate myself for what I did".

"Don't swear anything to me, it's your poor wife who you ought to be making promises to. I only hope, for your sake as well as her's, that you can keep them, because there are a lot of people who love Hermione very much, and who wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to defend her. No matter who it was from. I hope you're aware of that."

"I am."

"Good. I should probably go home, I suppose, before I do any serious damage". Sirius watched as she disappeared into Hermione's room, and slumped down against a wall behind him. She reappeared a couple of minutes later, and shot a glare at Sirius as she headed back down to the fireplace, presumably. _If looks could kill_...

Sirius took a deep breath and rose to his feet, before knocking on the door once again. This time when he entered it, Hermione was sitting on her sofa, cradling a cup of something. She looked at him warily, but let him join her.

"I wish there was something I could say to make it better, Hermione. I'd give anything to go back and...do things differently."

"I'm sorry about earlier. You were so good to me. I want to forget what happened, I want to forgive you and move on, I really do. But afterwards, I just..."

"I know."

"I want to trust you. And I do, mostly. But there's just a little part of me that...isn't quite there yet".

"That's understandable. You know that I will never, ever hurt you again, don't you? I want you to know that, and try to believe me. I will never try to make you do anything you don't want to do".

"And I won't refuse to do what we have to do to make this work. However bad things might get, the alternative is always going to be so much worse..."

"I hope things will only get better."

"Me too." Hermione sipped her drink. "I just feel...No it's silly."

"No, tell me. Whatever it is you can say it."

"I feel _powerless_," she whispered.

"I don't want you to feel that way."

"I know you don't..."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Hermione finishing her tea, as Sirius tried to find the words, _any_ words, to comfort her. He couldn't. In the end it was Hermione who spoke.

"I think I'll go to bed now." She set her mug down and stood up, stretching as she did so. Sirius followed suit, and got to his feet.

"I'll see you in the morning." He decided against kissing her goodnight, given the circumstances, but then she surprised him:

"Wait," He stopped and turned back to her. "Will you...I mean, would you mind, staying here tonight?" She blushed. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, I just...I don't want to be alone..." She trailed off, looking at her bare feet on the carpet.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, his voice gentle. She nodded shyly, which struck Sirius as ironic, considering what they'd been doing only a couple of hours earlier.

Hermione made her way over to the bed, and pulled back the covers before slipping in. Sirius followed and got in next to her, muttering a charm which turned off the lights. He felt her shifting next to him, and turned onto his side facing her, although neither could see each other in the dark.

He wanted to reach out and hold her, but was loath to scare her. Sleeping next to him was a big enough step, and one he definitely wasn't expecting.

"If you had a choice," Hermione whispered into the darkness after a little while had passed, "Who would you choose?"

Sirius sighed quietly. He didn't know what she wanted him to say. He tried to dodge the question.

"Who would you choose?" he asked, although he dreaded her reply.

There was a pause as she thought about it. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "Who would _you_ choose?"

"Isn't it irrelevant now?"

"I suppose so..." She sounded disappointed with his answer, or lack of.

"For what it's worth, I wouldn't change...this. But as I've said before, I still think that I got the better side of the arrangement. I got you."

Hermione seemed satisfied with this, and although Sirius couldn't see in the dark, she smiled slightly. The pair lay in a comfortable silence, until eventually Hermione's breathing became deeper, indicating that she'd fallen asleep. Sirius shut his eyes and could smell a faint vanilla smell - her shampoo.

When he was convinced that she was asleep, he whispered: "We don't have a choice. But I still choose you." He reached out gently and his hand found her hair, which he stroked gently. "I always will."

*.*.*.*.*

When Sirius awoke the next morning, he found himself enveloped in Hermione's limbs. She seemed to be spooning him in her sleep, one of her arms hanging over his torso, while one of her legs rested on top of his. He smiled fondly, trying not to move in case he woke her. She was still breathing deeply, and occasionally made little high pitched noises in her throat.

In the end, their rest was disturbed by Sela, who bustled into the room waving a piece of parchment above her head. "Master Black! Sela couldn't find you in your room!" Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes, untangling her legs from Sirius' body.

"Good morning," he said, watching with a smile as Hermione tugged her nightshirt down from where it had ridden up to expose her thighs in the night. She smiled sheepishly, before turning to Sela:

"Is everything alright, Sela?"

"Mistress, did Sela wake you? Bad Sela!"

"It's fine, Sela. Who's the letter for?"

In answer, Sela reached up and handed the parchment to Sirius, although when Hermione looked closer it was addressed to both of them. She frowned but said nothing.

"Would you like Sela to bring breakfast into here?" the house-elf asked, as Sirius opened the letter.

"Sirius?" Hermione nudged him.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, thank you." He went back to reading the letter as Sela disappeared.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, propping her pillow up behind her.

"We have an invitation," Sirius said, still reading. "Lunch at the Burrow..."

"The Burrow! They've finished rebuilding?"

Sirius smiled as he put down the parchment, and Hermione snatched it up. "It would appear so."

"That's brilliant..." She carried on reading, a huge smile lighting up her face. It wasn't often that Sirius saw his wife this happy, and once again he was struck by her beauty and her youth - she really was so young... "And Ron will be there! And Harry and Ginny! I wonder how they got permission to leave Hogwarts?"

"Special circumstances, I expect. McGonagall could hardly ask them to miss seeing the Burrow, after all this time." Watching Hermione, Sirius couldn't help but smile.

"What's going to happen to Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked, her quick brain already on the implications.

Sirius shrugged. "I hadn't even thought of that. I don't particularly want to sell it...I suppose Ginny and Neville can live there after you all finish at Hogwarts, if they want to...Or Harry could have it...What do you think?"

"I don't know...It's your house."

"It's our house," Sirius corrected. "I don't suppose Molly and Arthur can wait to move out."

Hermione laughed. "I think some of the portraits were driving Molly crazy!"

Sela returned with breakfast, and as they ate Hermione reminisced about her summers spent at the Burrow over the past few years with Ron and Harry.

"I can't believe I missed so much of Harry's childhood."

"It was hardly your fault," Hermione reassured. "Besides, you're here for him now. That's what matters." Sirius smiled at her. _This _was what he wanted. To wake up next to his wife, share breakfast in bed, and talk easily. To go out to see friends together, as a couple, and enjoy it.

"Galleon for your thoughts?" Hermione asked, making Sirius chuckle.

"I like this."

"Breakfast in bed?" Hermione asked, sipping her orange juice. "Me too."

"Actually, I've never been a fan of eating in bed - but with you, I'd stay here all day. I like waking up next to you." Hermione blushed, but smiled at him. He decided to seize the moment, and leant towards her, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. When he pulled away, she was still smiling, and had shut her eyes. She opened them when she felt him move away, and found him grinning down at her. "You're so beautiful..."

Once again, she blushed, but this time changed the subject: "What time should we leave?"

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius and Hermione stood, heads tilted back in awe, taking in the rebuilt Burrow. The ramshackle dwelling of the war was gone, and in its place stood a sturdy-looking four-story build. The spirit of the place remained, and already laughter could be heard from inside as the couple approached the porch. The Weasleys seemed to have managed to salvage certain aspects of the home, and the out-shed remained in tact.

Molly appeared at the door, having seen them approach from the window, and welcomed them in excitedly, embracing Hermione as Arthur shook Sirius' hand warmly. Ginny, at Hermione's request, hadn't told anyone else what Hermione had confided in her, and Molly was pleased to note that the couple had walked up to the house holding hands.

Molly led Hermione and Sirius through to the kitchen, where Harry was seated. He got up as soon as he saw them, and the three sat down to drinks, Mr and Mrs Weasley still pottering about.

A quarter of an hour later, the whole 'extended family' was seated around the table, which Arthur had managed to extend with magic. Ginny, Harry and Neville had all apparated back from Hogwarts for the occasion, and they were joined by Remus, Tonks (who shot Sirius a warning but tired look and said nothing), Teddy and Baby Meredith, who was the source of the majority of the attention until a familiar voice was heard at the kitchen door.

"Bloody hell, it's crowded in here!"

Everyone turned in surprise and were relieved and overjoyed to see Ron for the first time in what felt like years. Everybody rose to embrace and talk to him, and Hermione, who had been cuddling Meredith, handed the baby to a reluctant Sirius so that she could hug Ron.

Amidst all the excitement, the baby had started to cry, and being handed off to Sirius, a complete stranger, did not help. Sirius looked around for Remus or Tonks, but they were caught up in the excitement of seeing Ron again, and he didn't want to disturb them. Instead, he carried Baby Meredith out into the scullery, away from all the noise. He sat himself down on a wooden chair, and tried to talk to the baby in his arms.

At first she continued to cry, but eventually she began to make little gurgling noises and waved her chubby little arms around. Sirius lifted her up so that her feet were touching his lap, and pulled a funny face at her, which drew a sweet murmur from her. He felt silly, but seeing that she was enjoying it, and had completely stopped crying, he continued, until her eyelids began to droop and he cradled her in his arms as she dropped off to sleep.

From the kitchen, Sirius could here the continued excited babble, but expected that Tonks would soon wonder where her baby had got to. He stood up slowly, and opened the scullery door a crack, peering out until he saw Hermione, talking with Harry and Arthur in the nearest corner.

"Hermione," he called out softly, trying his best not to wake Meredith. "Hermione". She turned her head, having heard someone call her name, and was surprised to find Sirius' head sticking out of the scullery. She hurried over.

"What are you doing?" she asked, slipping past him and joining him in the tiny room. "Aww," she cooed, seeing that he was holding the baby. "You got her to go to sleep. Well done." Sirius smiled proudly, looking down at the sleeping child in his arms.

"I don't know what to do with her - I think she might wake up if I bring her back into the kitchen. We couldn't just leave her here, could we?"

Hermione laughed in alarm: "No, unless you want to face the wrath of both of her parents! Do you want me to sit with her while you get one of them?"

"Actually, I'm OK holding her." He smiled down. Meredith had rested her head against his chest, and he could feel the warmth coming from her small body. In all honesty, he didn't want to put her down yet.

Hermione smiled, watching as he tightened his hold on the baby. "I'll go get her parents," she said. "I'll be right back."

She shut the door behind her, and sought out Tonks. She couldn't get the image out of her head: Sirius really seemed to have figured out how to look after small child. Tonks had told her that Meredith hadn't been sleeping properly since she'd been born, but somehow Sirius had managed to coax her into sleep. _He must have a magic touch_, she mused, smiling to herself.

She couldn't see Tonks in the kitchen, but Ginny said she'd seen her going into the living room. Hermione peered in, and saw Tonks asleep in one of the armchairs, her head resting on a cushion. Teddy was lying in her arms, also asleep, his hair a light blonde colour that day. They looked so peaceful that Hermione was unable to bring herself to wake them, so instead found Remus and led him to the scullery. The werewolf looked shocked when she reported that Sirius had lulled Meredith to sleep.

They re-entered the scullery, and Remus's relief was evident when he saw his daughter sound asleep. He took her from Sirius, thanking his friend, and held her to him. Sirius looked proud of his achievement, but slightly disappointed when Remus took Meredith away, and Hermione patted his arm comfortingly. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Remus smiled to see the couple getting on so well, and assumed that his advice must have worked. He was genuinely pleased for them. "I shouldn't really say this without Dora," he began conspiratorially, "But since I've got you alone - Tonks and I were wondering - would you like to be Meredith's godparents?"

Hermione face spread into a wide smile, and she looked up at Sirius who was beaming. "Are you sure Dora wants me?" Sirius asked dubiously, his eyes wide.

"She will when she sees that you have the power to get Meredith to sleep! No, but seriously, we talked about it. She wants both of you."

Hermione nodded her assent: "I'd love to, Remus. It would be an honour."

"Me too," Sirius agreed. "Of course I will."

**[Please review! I'd really love to hit the 100 mark for reviews, it would be such a great personal record for me ^.^ x ]**


	16. Chapter 16

**Loving Him Was Red**

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

**[Yay yay yay - I hit 100 reviews! Thank you all so much! ^.^ I'm having such fun writing this story, and I'm so glad that people are enjoying reading it - it makes it seem so worthwhile. So thank you, and please keep on reviewing! x ]**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Hermione and Sirius rejoined the party, trying to hide their excitement because Remus had asked them to keep the news private, at least until Tonks had been informed that he'd asked them. They also didn't want to detract attention from the Weasleys, who were busily enjoying being reunited with the Burrow.

After the lunch had finished, Ginny and Neville disappeared off somewhere, Ginny offering her mother the excuse that she wanted to show him around, and explore herself. Hermione took the chance to catch up with Harry, who she hadn't had a chance to talk to properly in what felt like an eternity, given how much time they'd spent together in the past year.

"How are things with Padma?" Hermione asked, as they sat in the empty kitchen, the others having joined the now conscience Tonks in the living room. Molly Weasley could be heard cooing over Teddy and the baby.

Harry grimaced at her. "They're...they could be worse," he said in the end, sounding less than enthusiastic. "She's a perfectly lovely girl, but we have very little in common. And she clearly misses her sister. There's no _chemistry_. That's the problem."

Hermione gave him a small, sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry."

Harry shrugged. "Could be worse." He chuckled. "The ironic thing is, I wish it was worse, in a weird way. We don't even argue. Sometimes I just wish we talked enough to have something to argue about, you know? Then we could show some sort of emotion to each other. Anger is better than boredom, surely?" Hermione said nothing. "I don't know, 'Mione. Just the thought of spending our whole lives together..." He exhaled loudly. "It's a long time. You never know - we might grow to hate each other yet!"

Hermione laughed. "I don't know, Harry. I'm sure you'll find something you have in common, given a whole lifetime! I would hope so, anyway. What's it like at school with you two?"

"I hardly see her! It's odd - well, unsurprising, I guess... - McGonagall gave us each permission to go into the other's common room and dorm. So I've given her the Gryffindor password, but she just keeps making up excuses for not being able to help me into the Ravenclaw Tower. And those damn riddles...I'm not a fan." Hermione laughed with him. "I wouldn't mind, but you know the rules...She seems to have conveniently 'forgotten' that the week won't go on forever...It's all rather uncomfortable really."

"Are you expected to..._use_ the dorms?" Hermione asked; it seemed rather distasteful to her. What about their roommates?

Harry nodded, his face grim. "We haven't, yet..." he averted his gaze, always having been slightly uncomfortable talking about sex. Hermione couldn't help but pity him, and all of the other newly-weds living in Hogwarts. The set up sounded far from ideal...

"Anyway, how are things with you and Sirius?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"We're doing OK," Hermione said, "We've had our ups and downs, but I think we're making progress. I really do."

"Ups and downs?" Harry asked, curious.

Hermione tried to laugh it off - "Nothing major, just a tiff here and there. Don't say anything to him, we're trying to move on." She couldn't bear to disillusion Harry about his own godfather. He didn't need to know all the details, and Hermione didn't want to think about the lows of the past week. She desperately wanted to forget.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." He paused, as if thinking. "I hadn't really though of it, but does this make you my godmother?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"Oh Merlin, I hope not!" Hermione replied, "That would be so weird! No, I'm sure I'm just your godfather's wife."

"And my my best friend." Harry added, punching her playfully on the shoulder. "I've missed you, Hermione Black."

"Me too," Hermione smiled. "Speaking of which, have you talked to Ron recently?"

"It depends what you mean - I haven't spoken to him about all this, he won't. He'll just change the subject as soon as you mention Astoria. Maybe you should try? I think it might do him good."

Hermione looked worried. "Do you think there's something wrong? Apart from the obvious, I mean..."

Harry looked unsure, but as concerned as Hermione felt. "I hope not...I don't know..."

Arthur popped his head round the door, and asked if they wanted to join the others in the living room to say goodbye to Remus and Tonks - apparently Meredith needed to get home and sleep.

Returning to the living room after seeing them off, Hermione noticed Ron, alone in a corner. He was sipping from a mug, but when Hermione got closer she thought she could smell something stronger than tea.

"Everything OK, Ron?" she asked, sitting down next to him. She could definitely smell alcohol.

Ron shrugged half-heartedly, and turned to her with a goofy smile. "Life," he began, "Is just wonderful, don't you agree?" His words slurred together, and as Hermione tried to think of a response, he spoke again, trying to get up but slumping down into the chair again. "I should get back to Hogwarts - my bride awaits me..." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Sirius, who had just entered the room and was looking at Ron worriedly.

"Ron, you sound a little..." Hermione shot a look at Sirius, and he came over. Once again, Ron tried to stand up and flopped back down.

"Alright," Sirius said, taking charge of the situation. He didn't think it would Mr or Mrs Weasley any good to see their youngest son like this. He wondered where he'd even got his drinks from... "Ron, you are in no fit state to go to Hogwarts right now. Your first day back will be short lived as soon as you bump into a member of staff. Why don't you come home with us, and spend some time with Hermione? You can apparate later." He didn't give Ron a chance to reply, before continuing: "Good. I'll go tell your parents. Then we'll be going."

Hermione smiled to herself at Sirius' bossiness - it was certainly coming in handy now. She left Ron briefly to say goodbye to Ginny and Harry, but thankfully he'd stayed put when she returned. He really did look worse for ware.

Between them, she and Sirius managed to drag him into the fireplace, and get him back to their house in one piece, and they sat him down in the library, sending Sela off to fetch a glass of water for him. Sirius pulled Hermione aside:

"Hermione, I don't want to worry you, but I received an owl at the Burrow from the Aurors - they need me to help on a case, now."

Hermione looked worried: "It's an emergency? That can't be good. Is it dangerous?"

Sirius nodded slightly, but placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "I'll be OK, I promise. Will you be OK here with Ron?" Hermione nodded, and Sirius leant down and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later." When he pulled away, his face had taken on a serious edge, and he walked towards the fireplace purposefully, shouting out the name of a place Hermione had never heard before.

"Byeee, Sirius..." Ron drawled, and Hermione sighed, torn between concern for Sirius and concern for Ron. She decided to focus on Ron, who she might actually be able to help, and joined him on the sofa. He smiled at her and shuffled closer to her, throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her nearer, giving her a tight side-ways hug.

"Ron, what's going on?" Hermione asked, pushing him away by his shoulders so that she could see his face. She held him at arm's length as he looked away. "Ronald Weasley, tell me the truth."

Ron sighed dramatically, and flicked his hair out of his eyes with his hand. "You know when I said that Astoria seemed like a decent girl?" Hermione nodded. "I was mistaken, sir!"

"What's wrong with her?"

Ron barked a bitter laugh. "What's _right _with her?"

"That bad?"

Ron nodded slowly, and his eyes seemed to focus as he looked at Hermione. "I miss you, 'Mione."

"I miss you, too."

"No, I mean...I really _miss _you."

"Me too..."

"No, Hermione-" he gulped: "I want you back."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Ron, you're drunk, you don't-"

"It doesn't mean it's not true, 'Mione. I've always loved you..."

"Ron, we tried dating, it didn't work...You know we can't do anything now, anyway - we're both _married_."

Ron spat out a laugh - "Yeah, like they're real marriages! Don't tell me you love Sirius Black."

Hermione swallowed, hurt by his words. "I want to make it work, Ron. It's not easy, but at least we're trying."

Ron scowled at her: "I _love_ you..."

"Sirius..."

"What?! Loves you?"

Hermione gulped. "You don't know anything about it, Ronald. Besides, I'm pretty sure that he at least _likes_ me, which is more than it sounds like can be said for Astoria." Ron's mouth dropped open. He glared at Hermione, before lunging forward, taking her completely by surprise. His lips crashed against her's, and she was overpowered by his grip on her arm and the scent of firewhiskey.

She immediately pushed him away, her hands shoving his chest backwards away from her. She stood up and pulled her wand from her pocket. He was not going to walk all over her. She pointed her wand at him in warning, and he held up his hands.

"Don't tell me you don't feel anything."

"I don't." she said simply, wiping her mouth delicately with the back of her hand. "I'm with Sirius. And you're with Astoria."

"But if we weren't..." he persisted.

"I'd feel the same way, Ron. You know we didn't work out before. Nothing's changed." She lowered her wand and slipped it into her pocket. "Drink your water."

Ron shook his head in annoyance, but did as she said. Hermione summoned Sela, and asked her if she knew of any potions Sirius might have for sobering up. She hurried off to look, and Hermione perched on the edge of Sirius' desk, keeping an eye on Ron, who was muttering to himself irately.

Once Sela retuned, she made him drink a small vial, which Sela claimed would help neutralize the alcohol in his system. She let him settle for a few minutes, before suggesting, politely but firmly, that it might be time for him to return to Hogwarts. He stood up reluctantly, and Hermione gripped his arm, taking them both to the Gryffindor common room. She took him over to where Seamus was seated, and asked him to keep an eye on Ron, happy to see the back of him for the time being. She'd have to face him on Monday...

When she couldn't find Ginny, she decided to go home, hoping that Sirius might be back already, although it seemed unlikely. Strangely, she was finding herself more eager to be at home than at Hogwarts, which was something she never thought she'd experience.

The house was horribly quiet when she returned, and she summoned Sela purely to check that she wasn't alone. Even Sela didn't seem her usual self - with Sirius gone, the remaining inhabitants of the big house felt oddly at a loss. It was only approaching six - Sirius could be gone for hours yet.

Hermione sat down in the windowseat, with a view of both the driveway and the fireplace, and pulled out her Charms textbook, planning to read the chapter she'd been set for homework, but she couldn't focus. Her she would read a sentence, and then her eyes would simply skim over the rest of the page, before she realized that she hadn't taken anything in.

Everything was so messed up - she'd foreseen a paradise after the War had been won, and now _this. _Nothing was how it should be. _But how should it be_? she asked herself, setting her book aside. She'd always thought, as had everyone else, that she'd end up with Ron - even they hadn't worked out. And Ginny and Harry...no one's life had panned out how she'd expected. _There's only so much books can teach_, she mused, wondering vaguely what Professor Trelawney would predict for all of them.

She touched her lips, still reeling from Ron's unwanted kiss. She felt sorry for him, but couldn't imagine that Astoria could be all that bad. Her parents, maybe, but the girl was only just sixteen years old. It didn't sound as if Ron was even making an effort. He definitely had no right to kiss her like that, no matter what. She'd said _no_, and meant it. Even if she did have feelings for him still, she could never bring herself to jeopardize her future with her husband.

Sirius wasn't perfect, and he wasn't exactly what she'd dreamed off - but nobody was perfect. And the more time she spent with him, the more she was convinced that they could be happy together. She refused to let the Ministry ruin the rest of her life. Or Ron, for that matter.

She sprung up when she thought she heard the door open, but it turned out to be Sela, asking her about dinner. "I'll wait for Sirius - but thank you."

Hermione couldn't bear to eat alone, and with her growing worry she'd lost her appetite anyway, but by the time the clock struck eight, she was beginning to feel faint, still sat in the windowseat, waiting. Waiting.

She'd been turning over and over in her mind what had happened after Sirius had left - should she tell Sirius about the kiss? She didn't want to anger him...But he had a right to know, didn't he...? "_Ugh_..." Hermione groaned, resting her head against the cold glass of the window. How dare Ron put her in this situation?

_I have to tell him_, she decided, dreading it. She couldn't _not_ tell him...It would haunt her conscience.

Sela brought her in a blanket and some hot cocoa, but still Hermione refused food, insisting that she'd wait for Sirius. By nine-thirty, she was starting to panic for real, and paced the library, treading lightly on the floorboards as she listened for sounds of him returning. She jumped when a tree-branch hit the window. _Stop being so paranoid, Hermione_.

When the fireplace roared to life at a quarter to eleven that night, revealing a disheveled but alive Sirius, she rushed at him in quite a state, throwing herself into his arms and burying her head in his shoulder.

"Whoa...whoa..." Sirius squeezed her tightly, cupping one hand over her hair around her neck. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm fine, sweetheart." He shut his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. She pulled back to look at him properly, holding back tears of relief, mingled with guilt.

"What happened?" she croaked out, and Sirius wiped a tear off her cheek.

"We succeeded - a criminal had escaped from custody," he explained vaguely, "But we found him and arrested him again. He's being kept under maximum security while he awaits his trial."

"What did he do?" Hermione asked, breathing more easily now.

"You don't want to know that, sweetheart. He won't get away now - that's the important thing. The bad guys aren't going to get far again. We won't let them." Hermione gulped and nodded, reassured by the confidence in his voice.

"It took you a long time to find him..."

"He had a good hiding place. Even so, it only took us a couple of hours to get him out." He smiled down at her: "As I said, we're very good."

Hermione calculated. "You've been gone for longer than two hours..."

Sirius looked a little shifty. "We had celebratory drinks afterwards."

She pulled away from him: "I was so worried, Sirius!"

"I'm sorry, I really am - I didn't think you'd wait up. I thought at the very least you'd be with Ron for the evening..." He trailed off pathetically.

"Of course I waited for you, Sirius, how could I not?!" she demanded. "I was so worried..." Unbidden, the tears started to fall again, trickling down her cheeks and over her lips.

"I'm sorry. It was selfish of me not to let you know. I'm sorry." Sirius approached her slowly and she let him embrace her again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I have to tell you something..." she whispered into his ear, letting him step back to look at her. She took a deep breath.

"Ron kissed me." She kept eye contact, and saw his eyes widen.

"Oh," was all he said, exhaling audibly.

"It only lasted a couple of seconds, I pushed him off me," she explained quickly. "I'd already told him that I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't listen. Sela fetched him a potion to help him sober up and I took him back to Hogwarts, and left him in the common room."

Sirius' jaw had tightened. "He was drunk, Sirius. He didn't know what he was doing..."

"He has no right."

"I didn't say he did..."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No!" she replied quickly. "Honestly, it only lasted a couple of seconds. I had my wand; if he'd touched me again I would've used it. It doesn't mean anything, Sirius. I just didn't want to keep it from you."

"Thank you - for telling me."

Hermione didn't know what to say next. "Are you angry?"

"Not at you."

Hermione looked at her feet. He certainly looked angry. "Come here," he said, pulling her to him again, and kissing her forehead tenderly. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm sorry."

"Please don't be angry at Ron..."

He ignored her, taking her by the hand. "It's late. Let's get some sleep now."

He led her upstairs, and she went into her bedroom, pulling him by the hand in after her. "Will you stay here again?"

Sirius nodded. Hermione spent the night in troubled sleep, wrapped in Sirius' protective arms, as he lay behind her, lost in thought.

**[Please review! Could we aim for 120? Maybe that's a bit ambitious, haha :p Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading! x ]**


	17. Chapter 17

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[I've realized that I've made a technical error in Hermione's age - if she's in her 8th year, she should be nearly 19, not nearly 18. I've decided not to change the age I've said she is in the story, I just wanted to let you know that I have noticed my mistake - apologies! So, for the record, for the purposes of ****_Loving Him Was Red_****, Hermione is currently 17, nearly 18. My maths has never been great! :p Please keep on reading and reviewing! (Also, a side note, and completely unrelated - the new ****_Les Mis _****film is INCREDIBLE! Go see it!) Thanks to ****_IHeartBranson _****and ****_UnfinishedPerfection _****for your ideas, and to everyone else who reviewed! Anyway, if anyone is still reading this AN - on with the story! x ]**

*Warning: lemons! - _UnfinishedPerfection_: I did read your review, and I think you're right about Hermione, but I really couldn't help myself with this first scene - she definitely hasn't forgotten about what happened or been able to completely trust him quite yet, but I think she's getting there, albeit slowly... :) *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Hermione woke up peacefully that Sunday morning, stretching out on her back, and basking briefly in the sunlight streaming in through the slightly parted curtains. Sirius remained asleep beside her, and she took a few moments to watch him sleep. He was so relaxed, it gave him an almost vulnerable appearance.

Thinking back over the last fortnight, Hermione recounted the many different sides of Sirius she'd come to known. He truly was an enigma. But she felt she was coming to understand him better by the day.

He began to blink his eyes, throwing an arm over his face to shield himself from the sunlight. Hermione giggled under her breath, and he turned to smile up at her. "Watching me sleep, were you?" he asked, smirking at her.

She blushed, and flopped back down onto her back, facing the ceiling. Sirius laughed, and propped himself up on an elbow to look down on her. He leant down and kissed her, a soft brush of the lips, rather than anything more. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed, a smile spread across her lips. He kissed her again, placing his hand on the other side of her head so that he was holding his torso over her. This time, she opened her mouth to him quickly, bringing her own hands up to fist in his hair.

He groaned, deep in his throat, and deepened the kiss, running his hand between their bodies, making Hermione quiver at his touch. He planted soft kisses down her neck and focused his attentions the spot beneath her ear, as she threw her head to the side, moaning appreciatively.

Sirius moved his hand down her body, reaching her tiny pajama shorts. Her thighs were slightly apart, and her breath quickened, but she did nothing to stop him yet. However when he tugged gently, she shook her head, _no_, so he ran his hand back up again, slipping it under her camisole and cupping a breast. Hermione mewled, and arched her back up to him. "Ah," she cried, as he caressed her nipple, and it hardened under his fingers.

He ran his nose down the length of her's, and kissed the corner of her mouth softly. "This is even better than breakfast in bed, wouldn't you agree, Mrs Black?"

Hermione smiled, writhing under his touch beneath her thin camisole. "I don't know - can anything beat breakfast in bed?" she asked, feigning innocence. Sirius narrowed his eyes at her in mock offence, and suddenly moved his hand to her other breast, pinching the nipple as she groaned.

"How dare you..." he mocked, smirking wickedly as she writhed beneath him, her breath coming in short pants. Her head was tossed to the side, her hair spread over the pillow. He moved his legs between hers, and she gasped as she felt his erection pushing against her. Her eyes shot open, meeting his dark gaze. Sirius struggled not to laugh at her surprised expression. "I am a man, love..." he teased, capturing her open mouth in another kiss.

"Sirius..." she moaned, as he began nibbling at her ear-lobe. "Siri...Ah..." He tried once again to pull off her shorts, and this time she arched her back up to help him. He tossed them to the ground along with her knickers, sitting back on his heels and tugging off his own boxers.

Hermione watched him was her position sprawled beneath him; his eyes were dark with desire, and she squirmed under his gaze alone. She could feel her chest rising and falling heavily with her erratic breathing. It had never been like _this_ before - there was something almost animal about the way they wanted each other, a certain desperation to their desire. For once she wasn't over thinking, caught in the moment, and utterly trapped in Sirius' charms. She really _wanted_ him.

He attacked her lips again, pulling her knees up so that they were by his hips, as he lined himself up with her. Again her hands found his hair, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled them up above her head, making her gasp, but even more aroused. His eyes burned into hers as his tip nudged against her moist centre, and she shut her eyes in anticipation. He slammed into her hard and fast, and she welcomed it, groaning carnally as he began to move.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione was sprawled out on Sirius' chest. They both breathed heavily, recovering.

"That was incredible..." Sirius murmured, planting soft kisses on every part of Hermione he could easily reach. She moaned quietly in agreement, her eyes still shut, nuzzling his bare chest.

He sat up slowly, brining Hermione with him, and pulled a sheet over them. He couldn't help but think of what had happened last time, and kept a close eye on Hermione, but she seemed perfectly content, her head still against his chest.

Glancing at the clock, Sirius saw that it was only eight-thirty. They had the day ahead of them. "What do you want to do today?" he asked her gently, leaning back against the headboard. Hermione finally broke contact with him, and leant back next to him, angling herself to face him with her head tilted to the side.

"I don't know if I could...but I'd love to see where you work." Sirius looked like he might protest, so she quickly added: "Not on cases, obviously, just...I don't know, do you have an office?"

"We have headquarters. I don't see why I couldn't show you around..." Hermione's face lit up, and he really couldn't say no after that. "Shall we go this morning?"

They left the warmth of the bed reluctantly, washing and dressing in a relaxed, slow state. Hermione couldn't help but smile to herself - there was no hurry today, nothing urgent to do, just time with Sirius to do whatever they wanted to do.

They ate breakfast together in the dining room for the first time, and Hermione observed the other house-elves as they worked, serving drinks and cleaning and tidying the downstairs rooms for the day ahead. Without exception, they all looked well-treated and happy, and were always eager to please both Sirius and Hermione.

"Do you have much school work?" Sirius asked conversationally. Hermione shook her head; although she did have notes and an essay to do, she didn't want to give him an excuse to cancel their trip. She would get the work done, without a doubt, but not right now.

Sirius regarded her. "Do you want me to talk to Ronald?" The question surprised Hermione, and she put down her hairbrush on the vanity, turning to face him.

"Why?"

"You said that he wouldn't listen to you. I just thought he might take more notice if I speak to him."

"Sirius, he was very drunk. I'm sure he'll be fine tomorrow - I expect he'll apologize." The confidence in her voice hid the fact that she wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

"What if he doesn't?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Fine," he snapped, turning away to put on a jacket. "Why are you defending him?"

Hermione gasped. "I'm not! Why are you making this into more than it really is?"

"Because, Hermione, it's important."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do-"

"Then why are you so worried about this? Ron's not a threat to you, you know. You're my _husband_."

"I don't trust that boy. The way he looks at you..."

"Are you jealous?"

Sirius folded defensively across his chest, and blatantly ignored her question. "I won't go out of my way to say anything. But if I see him..."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. They regarded each other from across the room.

"Please don't worry, Sirius," Hermione pleaded, breaking the silence. Her voice was calmer. "I am _not interested_ in Ron. I was, and as you know we tried to date, but it didn't work, for numerous reasons. None of which have changed. I have no desire to have an affair with him, or anyone else. And if he tries anything again, I'll give you free reign to deal with him however you see fit." Sirius nodded, and she crossed the room to be closer to him. "I only told you about yesterday because I don't want to have secrets from you. I didn't mean to make you angry, or worried. Please believe me."

Again Sirius nodded, and reached a hand up to stroke her cheek gently. "I trust you. I'm just trying to look after you."

Hermione smiled. "I know. And I appreciate that." She glanced down, and Sirius planted a kiss on

her forehead.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Sure."

Sirius took her hand in his, and they made their way to the fireplace in the library.

"The Headquarters used to be in the Ministry," Sirius explained, "But after the war we moved, for numerous reasons. We still have to go through the Ministry to get there, for added security, but the actual offices are near the Houses of Parliament, on the river."

They flooed into the Ministry atrium, and Sirius led Hermione through the bustling hub of action to an official-looking office, at which sat two guards in front of a larger fireplace.

"Names?" The first guard asked, although from the way he nodded at Sirius it was clear he knew him, and it was all just for the sake of security.

"Sirius Black. And this is my wife, Hermione Jean Black, previously known as Granger." The guard winked at Hermione, and Sirius tightened his arm around her waist.

"Position?"

"Auror, CBHE. Level One. Supervisor."

"Passcode?" The other guard asked, passing Sirius a piece of parchment and a muggle fountain pen. Sirius scribbled down the phrase, out of Hermione's line of vision.

The guard checked briefly, and nodded to the pair of them. "Mr Black, Mrs Black, you are welcome. You know what to do."

Sirius acknowledged him courteously, and led Hermione around the desk. The fireplace was large enough for both of them. "Auror Headquarters, London!" Sirius called, and the flames enveloped them.

When they stepped out of the fireplace on the other side, Hermione was confronted with a hectic scene. The larger room was in the shape of a semi-circle, with open cubicles spread out across the floor space. The far wall was lined with private offices, and the curves on the either side were made from glass, flooding the whole area with light, save from where images were plastered onto the windows, depicting what Hermione assumed where criminals, as well as clippings from the _Daily Prophet_.

Sirius glanced down at her. "This is it. Headquarters." He walked into the chaos purposefully, greeting colleagues politely here and there. It was clear to Hermione that he was senior to them. They came to mahogany door, on which "Black" was inscribed. Sirius pushed it open, and led Hermione in.

"Ah, Lavinia." Hermione was taken aback to find a tall, blonde woman standing at a filing cabinet. She seemed just as surprised to see Sirius and Hermione.

"Mr Black," she simpered, and Hermione took an immediate dislike to her. Her dress was too short for her long legs, and the neckline was definitely too low to be appropriate for work. The way she was holding her tanned arms, pushing her breasts outwards, didn't help. "We weren't expecting you in today."

Sirius turned his gaze back to Hermione. "I came to show my wife around. Let me introduce you - Hermione, this is Lavinia Barle, my assistant. Lavinia, my wife, Hermione."

"It's a pleasure," Lavinia said coldly, her eyes never leaving Sirius. Hermione narrowed her eyes at her.

"I wasn't aware that Sirius had an assistant."

Lavinia's eyes shot to Hermione, then back to Sirius, and she plastered a fake smile on her face. "Mr Black, you've never mentioned me to your lovely wife? You do make me laugh." She giggled, an irritating, high-pitched noise. Sirius grimaced slightly, still looking at Hermione.

"Lavinia started in August."

"It's my pleasure to serve Mr Black," Lavinia cut in, winking suggestively at Sirius, who still wasn't paying her any where near enough attention for her liking.

Hermione smiled cooly at her from across the room, wrapping her arm around Sirius. "Like a house-elf?" she asked sweetly, and Sirius spluttered, trying to cover a laugh.

Lavinia glared openly at Hermione now, and gritted her teeth. She said nothing.

"Right then," Sirius said, recovering himself, "If you'll excuse us, Lavinia, I'd like to show Hermione my office." Lavinia inhaled loudly in clear irritation, before strutting out of the room, swaying her hips exaggeratedly, her heels clicking on the marble floor with each step she took. She turned at the door: "If you need anything, Sir, anything at all...?"

"I think we'll be okay, thank you." Sirius shut the door behind her, before turning back to face Hermione.

"What a lovely woman," Hermione said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't know she'd be here. She doesn't normally work on Sundays."

"Why in Merlin's name did you hire _her_?" Hermione asked scathingly.

"She came with exceptional references..." Sirius offered, shrugging. "It was a busy time - my old assistant interviewed her for me. I only met her on her first day. In her defense, she is good at her job. She just..."

"Lusts after you in an utterly disgusting way?"

Sirius smirked. "You're jealous."

Hermione felt heat rushing to her cheeks. "No," she asserted, "No. That's not it..."

Sirius was unconvinced, and raised an eyebrow at her. "_It's my pleasure to serve Mr Black..._" Hermione mocked, imitating Lavinia's simpering voice almost perfectly. Sirius chuckled, and led Hermione over to the floor-length window, hoping to distract her.

The view was spectacular. The Muggle Houses of Parliament could be seen across the river, and boats carrying tourists floated past. "Don't they wonder what this building is used for?" Hermione asked, noticing a group of tourists pointing up at them.

"There are charms on the building, but we actually only take up this floor and the one below. The rest of it is private office space, and the ground floor is a bank. But because we all enter via the Ministry, nobody else who works in the building would ever suspect anything." Hermione nodded.

"It's a wonderful view..." Sirius stood behind her, and began kissing her exposed neck softly, making her smile and relax. He thought he'd succeeded in taking her mind of Lavinia, but then she asked:

"Do you always hire leggy blondes?" Sirius gasped, suppressing a laugh.

"Hermione! No, my previous assistant Margaret was brunette, as it happens."

"Did she wear low-cut dresses?"

Sirius did laugh this time. "Hermione, she was nearly sixty years old. No, she didn't."

"So she retired?" Sirius nodded. "Do you think she'd come out of retirement?"

"You really don't like Lavinia, do you?" Sirius turned Hermione around to face him, her back to the window. "She flirts with me, Hermione, not the other way round. I only have eyes for you. Even before you, I was never interested in her. She's not my type."

"That's not what I've heard..."

"I thought you said you didn't listen to rumours about me?" Hermione bit her lip.

"Do you find her attractive?"

Sirius sighed. "She's a pretty face, Hermione. But she's also slept with half the men here - that in itself would be enough to put me off her. She's attractive, in an over-done, obvious way - she's not you."

"Great - so what? I'm attractive in an _subtle_ way?"

"That's not what I meant. You're stunning, Hermione. In every way. She's pretty, but you're _beautiful._" Hermione took a deep breath, and shut her eyes briefly.

"Sorry. I overreacted."

"We've both been guilty of that recently...It's okay."

They contemplated one another. "I'll show you around the floor below if you like - it's where we plan our cases."

"Like mission control?" Hermione asked, smiling again.

"Even better," Sirius answered mysteriously, and took her down in a lift to the level below. A long, glass table lined the whole length of the floor, surrounded by smart black chairs. It was big enough to seat about thirty Aurors.

He took her over to the left, to the top of the table. "This is the Head Auror's seat," he explained, gesturing to the chair at the head of the table, in front of a large screen, on which Hermione presumed images would be displayed.

Sirius moved slightly down the table, and stood behind the seat to the right of the Head Auror's chair. "This is my place," he said proudly, tapping the top of the chair.

"Wow," Hermione said, impressed. "So you're the right-hand-man?" Sirius nodded, grinning at her. "I had no idea..."

"Few people do - it's sort of like being in the intelligence service - only a trusted few can know these things."

"I'm trusted?"

"Of course - you're my wife. You have special rights."

"Rights?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"For example," Sirius began, "Invitations to Ministry balls and banquets. You also have a slightly weighted vote in internal elections." Hermione's mouth fell open.

"That's not fair!" she said. No wonder the Ministry kept the intricacies of its democratic processes so private. "So the employees and spouses basically have the power to elect whoever they want?"

Sirius nodded. "It's not fair, but it's a perk. Besides, not all of the employees, and only the spouses of the top officials." He smirked: "Like me."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him: "You really are quite the arrogant executive, you realize?" Sirius grinned at her.

"Come on, let's go back upstairs. Have you seen enough here?" Hermione nodded, and they returned to Sirius' floor. Once again, she noticed how the people working in the cubicles acknowledged them as they passed, back through to his office. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Hermione thought about it. "What happens when a case comes in?"

"Well," Sirius said, perching opposite her on the edge of his desk, "It depends on the level, whether it's an emergency or not. During the day, when I'm supervising the Aurors in training, I'd only be called upon if it was Level C10 - that's major disasters. Escaped prisoners, murders, you get the picture. Otherwise, the people out there," he gestured to the workers beyond the closed door, "will gather as much information as they can, and assemble a task force of the Aurors best suited to the case. If it's Level OP13 - minor incidents - it joins a waiting list to be dealt with later. That's where the training Aurors come in, with the minor cases."

"Like in a hospital?" Hermione asked. "The training Aurors are like the interns?"

"Exactly," Sirius confirmed. "There's a sort of heirachy. Ironically, the higher you get, the fewer cases you get."

"But the ones you do get given are dangerous?"

"They tend to be. Sometimes they're just the more complicated ones that the less experienced Aurors can't solve without help. And sometimes we get asked to help on relatively easy cases, for example if somebody deemed 'important' is involved, like the high officials in other apartments."

"I see..." Hermione nodded. It wasn't what she'd expected at all.

"Mr Black?" They both turned to see Lavinia sticking her head round the door, her blonde hair falling into the room over her shoulder. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but Caroline's asking for you outside - she says a case is coming in you'll want to see..."

Sirius shot a look at Hermione, who had pursed her lips and was regarding Lavinia suspiciously. He thanked Lavinia, and hurried out to the floor, Hermione following him.

"Mr Black," a woman, presumably Caroline, seated in the cubicle opposite his office called him over: "I have a case coming in concerning a Mr Ronald Weasley..."

**[Dun dun dunnnnn...I can't resist a cliffhanger! Please review, and thanks for reading! x]**


	18. Chapter 18

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you so much to everyone who's been reviewing and favoriting and following! I get so excited every time I get an email from FanFic :)) I don't know how long this is going to end up being, but please keep your ideas coming! Does anyone have any preference - should Hermione become pregnant or not within the story? x ]**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

_"Mr Black," a woman, presumably Caroline, seated in the cubicle opposite his office called him over: "I have a case coming in concerning a Mr Ronald Weasley..."_

Hermione stopped in her tracks, coming to a halt behind Sirius, who was leaning over to look at the magical parchment on Caroline's desk. A quill was scribbling away furiously as the three of them watched closely:

_Name: Mr Ronald Weasley_

_Level of Emergency: WS6_

_Current Location: Ministry Headquarters, Level Two, Cell 209_

_Action Required: Auror Level Three upwards required to interview the detained and determine course of action_

_Notes: The detained was taken into custody after attacking the Minister for Magic, while attempting to ward off officials from the Improper Use of Magic Office. He used inappropriate and potentially dangerous force in an attempt to escape. _

Hermione peered at the parchment in amazement. What was Ron doing with the Minster!? He should have been at Hogwarts...

"What does WS6 mean?" she asked Sirius, as the quill fell beside the parchment. Caroline paused, to see what Sirius would do next.

"It's just above OP13 - minor and considered a 'safe' task, but needing a trained Auror to deal with it. Caroline," he turned to the woman at the desk, "Assign the case to me, please. I'll go now."

Lavinia suddenly appeared again, having been hovering, holding out a brown trench coat, which Sirius slipped over his shoulders. He turned to Hermione: "Will you be OK in my office? I'll try not to be too long."

"You must be kidding! I'm coming with you," she insisted, stepping closer to him. Lavinia felt the need to intercede:

"That would be _highly_ inappropriate. If anyone should go, it really ought to be Mr Black's assistant..."

"I'm going alone, thank you Lavinia. Hermione, please don't argue. I'll sort this out quickly."

Before she could argue, he was halfway across the office, and stepping into the waiting fire. "Sirius-" she shouted, causing a few of his colleagues to regard her from their desks, but he was already gone. She folded her arms, and stared dejectedly into the space he'd disappeared from.

Lavinia tried to cover a snort, clearly finding Hermione's predicament very amusing. She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Hermione, who had spun round to glare at her. Hermione wasn't going to suffer fools gladly, and drew herself up to her full height.

"Is there a problem, Lavinia?"

She bit her lip, looking like she was trying to suppress a smirk. "Nothing at all, Hermione."

"I think 'Mrs Black' would be more appropriate, _Lavinia_." She knew she was being a bitch, but was, in truth, enjoying a small form of revenge on Lavinia. She brought her left hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, flaunting her wedding band as Lavinia pursed her lips.

"_Mrs Black_," she practically hissed, fully aware that angering her boss' wife was a bad idea all round. Caroline had stopped her work and was watching the two young women like it was a tennis match, clearly enjoying the drama unfolding behind her desk.

"I think I'll sit in my husband's office," Hermione decided out-loud, flashing a fake smile at Lavinia. "Could you fetch me a tea, please?" She tried hard to maintain an impression of being strong and assertive. Lavinia was _not_ going to win, although Hermione wasn't sure exactly what it was they were trying to achieve.

"Certainly," Lavinia spat, turning on her heel and strutting down the length of the office. Caroline winked at Hermione as she passed, and Hermione smiled at the woman, returning to Sirius' office. When Lavinia eventually brought in a tray of tea, Hermione made sure not to touch it.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius strode down the Cell block of Level Two at the Ministry, his trench coat swishing behind him as he walked. His face carried a peeved expression - again, Weasley was getting in the way of his time spent with Hermione. But he could hardly _not_ help him, for his parents' sake if not Ron's.

Most of the cells he passed were unoccupied, but every so often a detained wizard or witch would try to catch his attention as he passed their cell. He kept his eyes ahead. That was Rule One. Aurors must not be distracted from the task at hand. _Even if the task was helping Ronald Weasley_, Sirius kept telling himself. Although he had to admit, he was intrigued to find out what exactly Ronald had done this time.

He reached Cell 209, and he flashed his identity badge at the guard outside. "You have ten minutes." The bored-sounding guard said, and Sirius paid him no attention - this was only a formality. He could stay in there all day, if he wanted. It wasn't even like he was on duty...

The door swung open as the guard muttered his charms, revealing Ron doubled over on a concrete bench in the corner. His head shot up when he saw Sirius, and his expression noticeably cooled. "They would send you, wouldn't they?" he muttered under his breath.

"You're lucky they did send me," Sirius replied, folding his arms in annoyance. "Most Aurors don't look too fondly on cases like this." This was not strictly true, but Sirius wanted to see him squirm.

Ron regarded him suspiciously from the bench. "Are you going to help me?"

Sirius longed to refuse. "Tell me what you did."

"Shouldn't you know that already? Took you long enough to get here."

Sirius shot an eyebrow up at him. "Do you _want_ my help, or not?"

Ron sighed. "I'd been in Hogsmeade. I may have had a couple of drinks. Then I heard that the Minister for Magic was visiting McGonagall at Hogwarts. And I got...angry. I stormed back up there. I wanted to talk to him, ask him what the bloody hell he was thinking with all this. So I waited outside McGonagall's office, he came out, and blatantly ignored me."

"And then?"

"And then? I tried to hex the bastard. Make him listen."

Sirius stared at him in shock. "What? Why...Why would you do that?!"

Ron shrugged. "Come on, it's not a big deal, is it? People get hexed all the time."

"Not the _Minister for Magic_. It's like trying to throw something at the Prime Minister."

"The what? Anyway, I wasn't thinking straight. I was pissed as hell, in both senses. His security men tried to get me, of course, but I was faster. I fought them off all the way to the Common Room, then the stupid Fat Lady refused me entry. It's all her fault, really..."

Sirius shook his head at Ron's idiocy. "And then I would presume they restrained you somehow?" Ron nodded. "And then the Improper Use Officials came to reprimand you?"

"They made it into such a big deal. Half the Common Room came out to watch."

"And they arrested you?"

"Yep. Bastards..."

"Right. Well, now I've heard everything. Congratulations, Ronald - a new record for wasted Auror time."

Ron glared at him. "Why did they send _you_?"

"I was at the office - with Hermione. Speaking of which - how dare you touch my wife?"

Ron's jaw hardened. Sirius could tell he was still pretty drunk. "She wanted me to kiss her."

Sirius snorted. "That's not what she told me!"

"I should've known she'd go running to you..."

"It's hardly surprising. But, of course, we have a _mature, adult_ relationship. Unlike some people, clearly..."

"What do you care, anyway? It's not like you two are any more in love than the rest of us. What do you care who she kisses?"

Sirius paused, his brow wrinkled. "Is that what she told you?"

Ron remained silent for a moment. "She didn't say that. She hasn't said a bad word against you," he admitted reluctantly, and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "But I assumed...My point remains."

"As her _husband_, I not only would rather she only kissed _me, _but more than that, I want her to be happy. I certainly do not want someone like you forcing yourself on her. If she was _in love_ with you, which she clearly isn't...Even then, it matters to me. And I would hope it would matter to you who Astoria's kissing."

"Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean than?"

"A petulant little boy with a possible drinking problem," Sirius spat. "A boy she is not vaguely interested in. Who won't, it seems, take 'no' for an answer."

There was a cold silence as they regarded each other from across the cell. Finally Sirius spoke:

"I will get you out of here, on one condition."

"That can't be legal-"

"Then I'll be off...I'll add you to the waiting list." He turned to leave, but Ron called him back.

"Wait! What condition?"

"Stop drinking. Learn to deal with your own marriage. But most of all, _stay away from my wife_."

"That's three conditions!" Ron protested, rising to his feet indignantly.

Sirius said nothing, shrugged, and turned to leave once again. "Fine!" Ron spat, sighing loudly. "It's none of your bloody business, though. Just get me out of here. I've had enough of this cell."

Sirius smiled coldly, and pulled some papers from his inner pocket. "Sign these..."

*.*.*.*.*

When Sirius returned to his office, he found Lavinia where he'd expected to find Hermione.

"Mr Black," she gushed, standing to meet him.

"Where's Hermione?"

"Mrs Lupin came in with her new baby to see her colleagues, and _Mrs Black_ spotted her. A few of them went across the road for drinks. _Mrs Black_ asked me to inform her as soon as there was any news, or when you got back."

"You should let her know then..."

"What's the rush?" Lavinia crossed the room, swaying her hips suggestively. "Your wife was only too happy to see her friend - it was such a _happy_ coincidence. Besides, I've hardly seen you recently..." She reached out her hand, presumably to touch Sirius' hair, but he caught her wrist and stepped back, his expression hard.

"What are you doing?"

She giggled irritatingly. "What does it look like?" She had lowered her hand, but leant in close, her breasts pushed towards him. "I want you," she whispered.

"For the last time, Lavinia: I. Am. Married." Sirius enunciated each word, walking away from her to stand behind his desk. "I don't know what you think you're playing at, but I am _not_ interested in you. I wasn't when I hired you, and I'm still not now. I'm a married man. And I can always find another assistant."

Lavinia looked stunned; she was rarely turned down. But she pulled herself up. "I see. You're afraid of your wife..." Her smirk was infuriating. "_Cute_..."

Sirius banged his fist on the table, making her jump. "That's it. You. Are. Fired." Lavinia's jaw dropped. She took a step back, patting her hair nervously.

"What?" She squinted at him. "You wouldn't just fire me, just like that..."

"I just did."

"You can't do that."

Sirius shrugged arrogantly. "Feel free to take it up with the Minister. I'm sure he has nothing better to worry about."

Lavinia barked out a bitter laugh. "You need me. You need an assistant."

"There are plenty of willing applicants for your _old _position. I wouldn't think it would take me too long to find a replacement." Glancing over Lavinia's shoulder and through the office window, Sirius smiled to see Hermione returning, surrounded by a group of his female co-workers, Tonk's friends. She looked happy, laughing at something one of them had said.

Lavinia followed his gaze, and gritted her teeth. Hermione was heading straight for the office. She marched purposefully over to where Sirius was standing, determined to cause some sort of trouble before he kicked her out. Before he could comprehend what she was doing, she ripped open her own top buttons, revealing a lacy red bra, grabbed him by the shoulders and forced her lips to his, hoisting a leg up onto the desk behind him.

"Sirius!" Hermione's pained voice came from the doorway, as he pushed her away. Hermione's wide eyes took in her bra on full display. She shook her head in shock, and backed out of the office.

"Hermione!" Sirius called, rushing to follow her. "It's not what you think." She had made it into the fireplace, and was trying to hold back tears. "The Burrow!" she cried out, and disappeared into the green flames, before he could stop her.

Sirius turned, hands on his head in frustration, to find a smirking Lavinia, her breasts still on display. Her red lipstick was smudged, and when Sirius wiped his own mouth, he found that it must have smudged onto him. No wonder Hermione had assumed...

"What an unfortunate situation..." Lavinia cooed, a hand resting on her hip. The whole office was staring at the pair.

"Get out." Sirius took a threatening step towards her, and she cowered back, seeing the anger in his eyes. "NOW."

She scampered away, scooping up her handbag, and rushed into the lift. Sirius tried to breathe deeply and control himself. There was a stunned silence. All eyes were on Sirius.

Tonks stepped towards him, leaving the baby with Caroline. She placed her hands on his shoulders cautiously. "Sirius," she said quietly, so that only he could hear, and he looked up at her. "Tell me one thing: Were you cheating on Hermione?"

"Never."

She exhaled in relief, and patted his shoulder. "Go after her. She needs to know the truth. Make her listen."

Sirius nodded, swallowing his anger at Lavinia, and headed for the fireplace, shedding his trench coat and letting it fall to the ground behind him.

*.*.*.*.*

As soon as Hermione appeared in the fireplace of the Burrow, Molly Weasley rushed at her.

"Is it Ron? What's happened to Ron?" As she held her at arm's length, Hermione realized that she didn't know. She'd only come to the Burrow in the hopes that Sirius wouldn't follow her. She shook her head helplessly, and Molly released her, going back to pacing the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Hermione dear, you probably didn't even hear." She suppressed a sob. "He's been arrested-" She couldn't continue.

"I did know - Sirius was assigned to the case. Mrs Weasley," she went to where the older woman was standing, "I'm sure Ron's fine. Really."

"Hermione?!" Sirius burst into the room, looking frantically around, until he spotted Hermione.

"Sirius?" Molly rushed at him. "What's going to happen to Ron?" Sirius looked taken aback, momentarily forgetting the case he'd only just returned from. "Uh-" he stuttered, his eyes on Hermione, who had turned away from him, "Ron's been sent back to Hogwarts. It was only deemed a minor incident - a first offence. I persuaded the Ministry to let McGonagall deal with it however she saw fit-"

"Oh, thank you!" Molly cut him off, throwing her arms around him. She planted a kiss on his cheek, before hurrying out, calling to Arthur with the good news.

"Hermione-" Sirius stepped forward, and Hermione backed herself into a corner away from him.

"How could you?" She gasped as a strangled sob escaped. "I was gone twenty minutes. I thought you were helping Ron, and then-"

"I was, Hermione, I swear. I'd only just got back, Lavinia threw herself at me-"

"That's no excuse-"

"Hermione, just listen. She threw herself at me, and I _fired_ her."

Hermione looked taken aback. "You fired her?"

Sirius nodded. "I fired her. I was about to kick her out, but she saw you coming in, and she jumped on me and kissed me. I swear, that's the truth. I was not cheating on you. She was trying to stir up trouble."

"But...her dress..."

"She pulled it open herself. I didn't touch her, other than to push her off me."

Hermione slumped back against the wall behind her, and let out a long breath, shutting her eyes. "She's gone now?" His tone left her in no doubt that he was telling the truth.

"Yes. Definitely. I never want to see that awful woman again."

Hermione nodded, and Sirius joined her on the floor, so that they were sitting side by side against the wall of the Burrow kitchen. "I would never cheat on you." She turned to look up at him, noting the sincerity in his eyes. "Hermione, I-"

"Sirius, thank you so much," Arthur Weasley pushed into the kitchen, interrupting Sirius mid-sentence. He stopped when he saw them on the floor, Hermione drying her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Your welcome, Arthur," Sirius said, pulling himself to his feet, and offering Hermione a hand. "Ron's back at Hogwarts now."

"I can't begin to thank you. Although what possessed him to go for the Minister - I wish I knew what was going on with him..."

"I'm sure he won't do it again," Sirius said stiffly. He wasn't convinced that this would the last trouble Ronald would find himself in. Arthur nodded, silently praying that Sirius was right.

"Would you like to stay for lunch?" he offered. Sirius glanced at Hermione, who shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"Thank you, Arthur, but I think we'd better be off." Arthur smiled, looking quite relieved, and accompanied the couple to the fireplace.

"We're in your debt," he said, as Sirius stepped in.

"Of course not. I was glad to help." Sirius threw a forced smile at him, before taking Hermione's hand, and calling out for home.

*.*.*.*.*

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, his eyes full of concern, as he appraised Hermione, who was seated in the library next to him. She nodded.

"It was just a shock - well, so was the Ron thing. Everything just happened so fast..."

"I know...Not quite the relaxed day we were hoping for."

"So what exactly happened with Ron?"

Sirius recounted to her Ron's story, and how he'd bargained with him.

"You told him to stay away from me?" Hermione wasn't quite sure how she felt about this. Truthfully, a part of her felt relief - if Ron did in fact stay away, she wouldn't need to avoid him herself. After their last encounter, she wasn't too eager to see him. But then again, he was one of her oldest friends...

"Of course, we still don't know how McGonagall is going to deal with the whole matter. She'd be within her rights to expel him, but I doubt she will. She's too loyal to the Weasleys..."

"The Ministry is keeping an eye on Ron anyway, aren't they?" Hermione thought out loud, thinking back to his contravention of the marriage laws. "He can't afford to do anything else."

"You're right. If he steps over the line again, in either department, the Ministry aren't going to hesitate. They'll either arrest him again, or implement the 'special measures' in terms of the marriage..."

Hermione thought about it. "I can sort of see where he's coming from, that's the thing. We're all angry at the Ministry, and the Minister - he just dealt with it badly."

"Stupidly."

"I guess...Thank you for helping him. I know how you feel about him, after last night."

Sirius didn't reply, but changed the subject. "How's Tonks?"

"She's doing well, actually. It was good to see her...Oh yes, she said the Christening is next Saturday."

Sirius smiled, but sounded dubious. "Are you sure she's happy with me as Godfather?"

"Sirius, if she wasn't, she wouldn't let you do it. Simple as. Tonks isn't one to bend under pressure, even from Remus."

Sirius nodded, pleased.

"Can I ask you something...?"

"Anything."

Hermione paused, tilting her head to the side. "What were you going to say? When Mr Weasley came in? You said you...?"

"It's not important." The time just didn't feel right to Sirius.

"Please tell me. It sounded important..."

He sighed, and swallowed a lump in his throat. She was watching him closely. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her, taking her hand in his. "Hermione...I love you."

***.*.*.*.***

**[...Thank you for reading! Out of interest, do you like the day-to-day story-lines, or would you prefer me to jump ahead a bit? At the moment I seem to be on multiple chapters for each day - Chapter 18 and they've only been married for 6 days! Also, how about the odd chapter devoted to some of the other couples? (Ginny/Neville, Padma/Harry, Ron/Astoria...) Let me know :) Please review, and thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon...x]**


	19. Chapter 19

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Edit: My maths is sabotaging me again! I meant 8 days, not 6 :s Sorry! They were married on a Saturday (27th), and it's now the next Sunday (4 Sep.) Apologies, my mistake!]**

** ** Thank you to everyone who reviewed - your ideas were all so helpful, and I'm trying to bear all your comments in mind. I particularly like the idea to write separate one-shots for the other couples - this might be a good compromise :) (Thank you ****_Judy12_****!) And the majority of you seem to want Hermione to get pregnant - good, me too! I'm really glad you agree! Please keep reviewing, it really does make me so much more motivated to write and update quickly! Thank you again x ****

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

_He sighed, and swallowed a lump in his throat. She was watching him closely. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her, taking her hand in his. "Hermione...I love you."_

Hermione stared in stunned silence, as Sirius, in his anxiety about her reaction, tightened his grip on her hand. He could feel the cool gold of her wedding back against his skin, a tactile reminder of their young relationship. He swallowed. Her eyes were wide, and full of emotion, although he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

She looked down, and shut her eyes, and Sirius felt the need to speak. "Hermione, it's OK, you don't have to say it back. There's no pressure. Say it when you mean it..."

She looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Her voice was choked: "I do-I-..." She trailed off, and looked away again, blinking back tears. Sirius lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed each of her fingers softly in turn. When she spoke again, it was a whisper: "_I didn't realize..._"

Sirius was taken aback by this admission. "You're the best thing that's happened to me...You've come into my life and-" His voice caught in his throat: "You made me want to be a better man. I never thought I'd be married - I certainly never thought I'd have a wife that I love so much, who makes me feel the way you do. Every day I can't believe how incredibly lucky I am that I got you..."

Hermione was crying openly but silently now, and Sirius reached forward and gently brushed some of the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. She was looking into his eyes, so full of sincerity and..._love_. She could see it now.

"I wouldn't choose anyone else. When I'm with you I feel..." She couldn't finish her sentence - the words wouldn't come.

"Me too," Sirius cut in, smiling encouragingly at her.

"I want to make you happy."

"You do. Every day. You make me a better person."

"When I saw you with _her_...I'd never felt so jealous before in my life. When I see you with Teddy, and with Meredith, I can just see you, in time to come...And I look forward to our future. When you're not here I miss you. When you're here I feel...alive. I don't have any experience of love, but I'm starting to think...I'm pretty sure..." Sirius could barely breathe, his breath caught in his chest as he waited for her to say it. She took a deep breath. "I love you, too."

Sirius cupped her face in his hands, her cheeks wet from her crying, and kissed her tenderly. She could feel the smile on his lips. He pulled back, and rested his forehead against Hermione's, as they breathed in unison. He leant back against the side of the chair, and pulled her towards him, so that her head was resting against his chest, their bodies facing in the same direction across the sofa.

"I love you," Hermione said again, as if testing the words. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mrs Black," he replied fondly, nuzzling her hair and kissing her neck. "I always will."

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius and Hermione spent the evening lying together on the sofa, sometimes kissing, sometimes in comfortable silence, sometimes talking about nothing and about everything. The events of the day had been unexpected and exhausting, and they moved to Sirius' bedroom early on in the evening, but found that neither of them wanted to sleep. They talked late into the night, stretched out on the king-sized mattress, until sleep removed their powers of consciousness, and they drifted off together.

Morning came too soon for Hermione, who dressed in a agitated state. She couldn't help but smile thinking back to the night before, but was simultaneously worried about the day ahead, and a large part of her, one very much at odds with her fiercely independent nature, didn't want to leave Sirius for such a long chunk of time.

They both lingered over breakfast, neither wanting to leave first. When the clock struck eight-thirty, they both reluctantly decided to get going. Sirius flooed to the Ministry from the library, and Hermione apparated back to the Gryffindor Common Room. It was more or less deserted, with most of the students at breakfast, and she was pleased to note that Ron was no where to be seen.

Hermione set about gathering her things together for her first lesson, and suddenly remembered something - she had completely forgotten to write her Potions essay. She panicked, never before having been faced with such a situation, and rushed to the nearest desk, summoning a quill and parchment. It took her a minute to remember the essay title, before she started to write frantically, her quill skimming the parchment as she threw onto the page everything she could recall about the Girding Antidote. It came to less than twenty inches of parchment, only a fifth of the minimum.

Sighing, she set down her quill, running a hand through her hair distractedly. It would have to do.

The other students were drifting back now, and she greeted the odd person here and there, keeping a wary eye out for Ron.

He was one of the last to enter the common room. Hermione tried not to catch his eye, but couldn't help but notice how awful he looked. He was sporting huge black circles under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't slept. His hair was looking lank and lifeless, and he'd never before looked so downcast. Hermione couldn't help but pity him slightly, regardless of what had been. He was one of her two oldest friends...

He dragged himself over to a sofa in the corner, and sat alone. Harry was no where to be seen, and their peers appeared to be avoiding Ron. Hermione left her belongings near the door, and approached him cautiously. "Ron?"

He looked up at her wearily. "Your husband doesn't want you to be anywhere near me."

"I wanted to check if you're OK..."

He barked out a laugh. "Do I look OK?"

She sighed, and sat down on an armchair opposite him. He raised an eyebrow at her weakly. "Your husband wouldn't approve of that..."

"Sirius doesn't control me. If I want to sit here, I can. Besides, he only told you to stay away from me, not me to stay away from you. Why do you look like..._that_?"

He shrugged. "I haven't been sleeping."

"What did McGonagall have to say when you got back here?"

"She's confiscated my wand...seems to be happening a lot these days. She's also charmed me up - if I so much as _look_ at anything remotely alcoholic, she's made it clear to me that I'll be out of here, bloody war hero or not. And my parents have 'grounded' me - I'm not to leave the castle unless I'm going directly to the Burrow. It's such a joke."

"What about Astoria in all of this?"

"She's keeping out of my way. I have to see her tonight - or else there'll be yet more 'consequences'. And frankly, I can do without some old pervert coming along to watch us."

"You need some sleep."

"I'm too angry to sleep."

"You need some sleep."

"You said that-"

"You're not listening. I've known you for over seven years. Trust me, you _need_ some sleep."

"I can't."

She sighed. He really could be so stubborn. "Sirius has potions at home. I'll try to get you a sleeping draught for tomorrow."

"I don't want anything from Sirius Black."

"Don't be so obstinate. You're lucky I'm even talking to you. Where's Harry got to? Ginny?"

"Ginny's as mad as Mum and Dad are at me, and Neville's on her side, of course. Harry...dunno."

"Right. Well, maybe if you cheered up a bit, they'd be more likely to spend time with you."

"Tough love," he snorted. "How can I 'cheer up'? How can anyone be cheery?"

"We have to make the best of this, Ron. It hasn't been easy for any of us. Things can only get better."

"You really believe that?"

"This isn't the end of the world. It isn't even a war. You may not love Astoria, and she may not love you, although_ I can't imagine why_ - just look at you." She rolled her eyes at him. "There are still people who love you, and who you love in return. It could be a lot worse."

"What if love is enough anymore?"

"Then I'm sorry for you. I really am. But if you can't get over this, you're never going to be happy. And that is bad. It's your life, after all. And right now, you're doing an excellent job of alienating everyone around you, and nothing else. Attacking the Minister isn't going to achieve anything."

"Then what do I do?"

"You make the best of it." She got up, and took a few steps away from him, before turning back to face him. "I want to help you, but I don't think I can - not when you're like this."

Ron watched her leave, picking up her bag and heading out of the common room to her first lesson. He ran a hand through his hair. _It needs a wash..._ He picked himself up, and headed to the Boys' dorm. His lessons didn't start for an hour. He suspected he had homework due in, but hadn't bothered to even write down the essay titles, and resigned himself to detention.

He decided to have a shower. He didn't like Astoria, but he could at least be clean for her. He couldn't stop thinking about Hermione - he'd never thought she'd be happy with Sirius. But it seemed she was, or was at least doing a good job of pretending. She certainly seemed happier than she had been when they were dating.

Stepping out of the shower, his thoughts turned to Astoria...his wife. _Mrs Weasley_, but she'd made it clear she'd never see herself that way. Things had started out, if not well, at least not too badly. And then the Ministry stuck their noses in, and punished them for not 'doing their marital duty'. Having his wand removed hadn't been the worse thing he'd ever gone through, but both of their sets of parents had been outraged.

Their first time had been worst. Astoria was cold and fragile and distant..._Hermione's polar opposite_, he mused. She had spent half her time refusing adamantly to let him anywhere near her, and the rest of the time screaming dramatically, as if he was forcing her. It wasn't that he was completely heartless - it must have been terribly unpleasant for her - but it hadn't been easy for him, either. The way she'd looked at him afterwards...

He tried to distract himself, pulling on his school uniform. _Think of something else_...His mind returned to Hermione, and he pushed her aside. And then he was back to thinking about tonight. Astoria flat out refused to go into the Gryffindor dorms, and he wasn't about to go into the dungeons, so they'd agreed to meet in the Room of Requirement. Other couples frequently used it, but most of the other students seemed to be a little fearful of Ron these days, and he was confident he could scare them away pretty quickly, even without his wand.

The day was mostly a blur for Ron. He was given detentions by two different teachers. The evenings clashed, but he didn't tell them. He'd pick which one he felt like going to when the time came. Or not turn up at all. He was beyond caring. Astoria was surrounded by a gaggle of her girlfriends when he passed her a dinner. They were fussing over her, all talking at once. Some of them hadn't yet turned sixteen, and didn't understand the full implications of the marriage law. When he walked past them, they glared at him like he was a murderer. _Or a rapist_.

He kept his face hard and slipped into the seat between Harry and Seamus. "How are things with Padma?" he asked, and Harry turned to him, taken aback by his question. He had done nothing but rant for the past couple of days.

"Erm...they're OK. Thank you." He shot him a smile, and went back to eating his potatoes.

"Seamus? How's it going with Romilda?" Seamus nodded.

"We're doing well, thank you." Seamus took a bite of his chicken, and Ron served himself. "How are things with you?"

Ron sighed, but made a conscious effort not to complain, remembering what Hermione had said to him. "'Could be worse."

By the time he reached the Room of Requirement, Astoria was already waiting for him. A bed stood in the corner. Astoria was sitting on the floor, a few meters away from it, her back against the wall.

She didn't look up when he entered. "I don't want to be here," was all she said, he tone cold and detached. If he hadn't known better, he would have been forgiven for thinking she sounded bored.

Ron approached her, and held out a hand to help her up. She looked at it suspiciously, but took it nonetheless, and he pulled her up.

"For what it's worth, I don't want to be here either."

"When can we stop?" She knew the answer, and Ron guessed, correctly, that she was trying to buy herself some time.

"When we get pregnant."

"You mean when _I _get pregnant? _You_ don't have to carry a child for nine months. Or give birth."

"You're right," he admitted. "But the sooner we have a child, the sooner _this_ can end. Isn't that what you want?"

She looked away, swiping her eyes irritatedly. "Come on," Ron said awkwardly. "Don't cry." She gritted her teeth, and tilted her head back, as if the tears would reverse their course.

"I don't like you," she said, but the insult carried little effect with the wobble in her voice.

Ron shrugged, and tugged his jumper off, beginning to unbutton his shirt as he walked over to the bed. Astoria followed him reluctantly, slipping her shoes off and lining them up neatly next to each other. They undressed themselves in silence, and got into the bed, under the covers. Ron shut his eyes, and tried to focus. Astoria lay, still as a rock, next to him.

"_I don't want to do this_," she whispered, as if it changed anything. They both knew that they had to.

"Me neither," he replied, as he rolled onto her.

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius rolled onto his back, still panting slightly, and pulled Hermione closer to him. She rested her head on his muscly chest, and tried to catch her breath. She yawned, and Sirius chuckled. "Wearing you out, am I?" She smiled, and nodded against his chest.

"There's only so much a girl can take..." She tilted her head back, and he kissed her softly.

"I never even asked you how your day was..."

Hermione grimaced. "Bad?"

"I got a detention..."

Sirius pulled away from her, and looked down at her. "You got a detention?! I'm shocked!" he teased, tutting at her over his wicked smirk.

She giggled at the look he was giving her. "Amidst all the excitement at the weekend, I never got round to doing my essay."

"You told me you didn't have any school work!" He laughed. "I must be a bad influence on you..."

"I agree - it's definitely your fault...You're leading me astray."

"My bad little wife..." he chuckled again, an unfamiliar twinkle in his eye. "I still can't believe you got yourself a detention."

"You're just so distracting..." she murmured, kissing the muscles of his upper arm.

"Mrs Black, are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe..." she smiled sweetly, and he captured her face in his hands, kissing her fervently once again.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Thank you for reading! Sorry this chapter's a bit short, but it felt like a good place to end things until Chapter 20 - I'm planning to skip ahead to Baby Meredith's Christening on the next Saturday, and I'll probably do a Harry POV, depending on the reviews I get for Ron's - did you like the way I did it? Or would you like to see something different for Harry? Let me know! x]**


	20. Chapter 20

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Wow, I can't believe we're on Chapter 20! I've never written so much of one thing in my life! :0 Thank you for all the reviews - for this chapter I've skipped ahead to the end of the week, on the Friday evening and the Saturday of Baby Meredith's Christening. There'll also be a Harry POV within the chapter :)]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

The white plastic stick slipped from Hermione's hand, and clattered as it hit the tiled floor. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she tried to breathe evenly. It had been what she was expecting, but still had managed to shock her. _It was so soon..._

She turned and leant against the sink. The face staring back at her in the mirror was pale white and looked terrified. She turned away.

"Hermione?" Sirius' concerned voice came from the other side of the locked door, making her start. "Are you in there? Sela said you were at home..." She'd hoped to be finished before Sirius got back from work.

"I'm just coming..." she called out, trying her best to sound normal, and she heard Sirius moving away from the door. She wrapped the Muggle pregnancy test she'd used in toilet paper, and dropped it into the bin, taking one last look at the screen - two red lines. The same as the last two tests she'd taken that evening. _They_ seemed pretty sure, even if she couldn't believe it...

She'd spent the past couple of days feeling nauseous and had barely made it to a bathroom that morning. Coupled with her late period, she'd come to suspect...

She washed her hands, trying to focus on the soap and warm water. Taking a deep breath, she turned the lock, and walked out into her bedroom. Sirius was sitting on the edge of her bed, and rose when she came out, embracing her, as had become their normal routine, and kissing her softly. "How was your day?" he whispered, still not releasing her.

"Good, thank you," she lied. "Yours?"

"I missed you," he replied, stepping back to look at her.

"Me too," she smiled, forcing a smile.

He regarded her carefully, holding her at arm's length. "Are you OK? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." She brushed off his concern, and turned so that he couldn't see her face. "Are you ready for the Christening tomorrow?" she asked, to change the subject.

"I think so...Oh Merlin!"

"What?"

"We haven't got Meredith a Christening gift!"

Hermione spun to face him. He was absolutely right...She was feeling so scatty these days...She never used to forget things like this.

"We'll have to go buy one now."

Sirius sighed. "I wanted a quiet evening in."

Hermione approached him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling up at him. "We'll make it fun. Don't worry. We needn't be long, anyway..."

"We could have dinner out, if you want?"

"I'd love to - see, it'll be good." The thought of something to distract her was very welcome. "Let's go now."

*.*.*.*.*

The Christening was to start at noon, and was being held near Tonk's mother's house. Hermione and Sirius arrived early, principally to help Tonks and Remus set up, but also because Sirius could tell that Hermione was hiding something, and she was running out of excuses, not quite ready to tell him yet.

When they reached the back room of the church where the family were, they found the Lupins in quite state, Tonks holding a screaming Meredith, and Remus and Teddy trying to talk to the priest in the corner, over the noise.

"Can I help, Tonks?" Hermione asked, and the older woman looked relieved.

"Yes, please! I can't get her gown on - could you please hold her while I try to dress her?"

Hermione took the crying baby in her arms, and tried to sway her gently, which made little difference. Meredith's little face was growing red with the exertion of her crying, and she wriggled fiercely in Hermione's arms.

Seeing that Hermione was struggling, Sirius stepped in, and between the three of them, Tonks managed to dress Meredith in her cream-coloured christening gown, and slip the silver bracelet, which had been passed down through the family, onto her wrist. When the gown was on, Meredith's crying died down, and she reached out her arms for Tonks to hold her again. Hermione was somewhat relieved to let her go, smoothing the newly-formed creases out of her dress.

Thankfully, Meredith had calmed down by the start of the ceremony, and was content enough to let Hermione carry her to the font, where the priest waited. The priest and Church were Muggle, and it was strange to see so many witches and wizards in one place, without any (obvious) magic.

When they reached the font, Hermione passed Meredith to Sirius, who passed her onto her mother. The priest welcomed the congregation, and moved on to the service. Sirius and Hermione repeated after him when it was required, and Tonks held Meredith over the font, as the priest flicked her forehead with the holy water. There was a slight moment of tension as the adults waited so see her reaction, but luckily she seemed to enjoy the attention, and her sweet gurgle made them all smile in return.

She was passed once again to Sirius, and Hermione lit the symbolic candle, passing it to him, as they moved in front of the font so that the priest could finish the ceremony.

As Hermione watched the baby, wide eyed as she took in the surroundings of the church, and Sirius, who was whispering to her softly, and pointing out the decorated ceiling, she felt tears welling up. Her emotions had been all over the place anyway, and this scene was really getting to her. The congregation were smiling and clapping, and all eyes were on the five of them at the front. _Don't cry_, she told herself sternly.

They made their way back down the aisle and out into the courtyard. It was a warm day, and the September sun bore down on them as they posed for photographs outside. The party moved on to Tonk's mother's house.

Andromeda Tonks was a kindly woman, and although she resembled her sister Bellatrix in looks, her personality couldn't have been further removed. Sirius embraced his cousin warmly, not having seen her in many months, and they spent a good few minutes catching up. Hermione lingered, looking after Teddy as his parents paraded Meredith around, thanking everyone for being there.

The party was rather informal, with simple sandwiches and cupcakes, beautifully iced and decorated in baby pink frosting by Andromeda.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Harry grinned, coming over to join Hermione and his own godson, Teddy.

"Harry," she smiled, giving him a half-hug, still holding the boy. "How are you?"

Harry looked over his shoulder, before replying quietly, "Annoyed, actually. Padma is really starting to irritate me. You know she refused to come today? On the grounds that she 'had too much homework'. I wouldn't mind, but I'm forever going to her family gatherings - weddings, dinners, everything. I never complain."

"Oh dear. That's not very nice of her." Teddy was reaching out to be held by Harry, and Hermione passed him over to her friend. She pulled out her and Sirius' Christening gifts from her bag - a silver, engraved birth certificate holder from Sirius, and a silver locket from Hermione. She was about to send them over to the gifts table, but remembered that she couldn't use magic here, not in front of the few Muggles who had been invited.

Sirius came over to them, and exchanged a few words with Harry, before leading Hermione away to meet some people, leaving Harry alone with Teddy. The little boy was nodding off to sleep, and Harry sat down with him in the corner, and gave himself some time alone, to think. Everything had been so hectic recently, he was exhausted.

It wasn't just himself he was worrying about, but his friends, too. Ron was finally starting to seem more like his old self, if a little more serious, and now Hermione was acting out of character. She'd been looking drawn and tired for the last couple of days, and had almost looked like she might cry during the Christening. He hoped that Sirius was treating her well, but could only assume something more was bothering her, as she had been at school for the majority of her time in the last week.

He missed Ginny, too. He was glad that she was so happy with Neville, but the more selfish part of him missed the way she used to look at him, like he was the only person on Earth who she could see. Now he barely saw her, and Neville was incapable of talking about anything other than how much he loved her. Even today, she was off with Hermione and mingling with the guests.

He sighed, and shifted Teddy to give his left arm a break. His thoughts strayed back to Padma. They really were struggling to get along, now that the original niceties had died away. They'd had a big row over the fact that she refused to give him the means to enter the Ravenclaw Tower, and the tension was still high. In the end, Luna had helped him in, much to Padma's annoyance, and they'd spent a highly awkward evening together, before she kicked him out of her dorm.

The pressure was building again - they had their _marital quota_ to fulfill before the end of tomorrow, and as things stood, it wasn't going to be any better than the time before. In consolation, Harry thought, Padma couldn't be enjoying it anymore than he was...

He spent most of the rest of the party by himself, glad for the peace and quiet. He stood at the back of the crowd as the Lupins presented Hermione and Sirius with little gifts as a 'thank you', and was concerned that Hermione looked close to tears once again. When Teddy woke up, he handed him back to Remus, and took his leave, wanting to get back to Hogwarts before it got too late. He also wanted to check on Ron, who had been banned even from this, and who had not been best pleased about it.

When he returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, he found Padma and Parvati sitting by the fire, with Luna and Lavender. They were passing round a tin of biscuits and chatting amicably when he approached them.

Padma swallowed a mouth full of biscuit when she saw him, and looked up guiltily. "How was the Christening?" she asked timidly, as the group fell silent.

"Beautiful." Harry snapped, even more irritated now. "Looks like you've been hard at work."

"I was giving myself a little break..." she offered lamely.

"Right. Well, it's good to know where your priorities lie. Clearly some things are more important to you than family."

"That's not fair, Harry!" She rose to her feet. The surrounding groups of their peers had gone quiet now as well. She lowered her voice. "Let's go somewhere to talk..."

"Why not talk here? It's not often that I see you come into the Gryffindor Tower. Normally it's me who has to make all the effort with you!"

"Harry," she had grown flushed in embarrassment, "We're not discussing _that_ in here. Let's go." She marched away from the crowds, and Harry followed her out into the empty corridor. She checked to see that no one was around, before turning on him. "What in Merlin's name, Harry? There was no need for that."

"You told me you were too busy with schoolwork to come to the Christening. If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so. I rather that than you lying to me!"

"Fine, I'm sorry. Harry, I didn't want to come to the Christening. There, I said it! I barely know the Lupins, none of _my _friends were going to be there, and I would rather spend time here, with my people."

"Your _people_? Really? Maybe if you made an effort, my friends would become your friends too. There's a crazy thought! If you refuse to spend time with anyone other than your sister and your old friends, then how are you going get to know my 'people'?"

She folded her arms. "Don't patronize me, Harry. Maybe I'm happy with my own friends."

"Yet if I miss anything that you want to go to, then that's not OK? Doesn't that strike you as unfair?"

"I don't often ask you to-"

"Don't give me that, Padma! Last Monday - your cousin's wedding. Wednesday evening - the Patil family dinner. Last night, your grandfather's birthday party! Do you think I'd rather be traveling round the country to meet with people _I don't know_, or here with _my_ friends?" She glared at him. "I go with you, because we're married, and it's rude not to. Maybe I won't bother in the future. You obviously don't care enough to even spend a few hours with me. Fine. So be it."

He made to storm off, half hoping that Padma would stop him, but she didn't. This led to an unfortunate situation, as he remembered that he was storming away from his own common room. _Godric. Now where do I go?_

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione and Sirius stayed until most of the other guests had left, before saying goodbye to Tonks and Remus. They both cuddled Meredith, and she gurgled contentedly in their arms. Teddy watched from his father's arms, his hair a calm, light brown that day. _They're such a lovely family_...Hermione thought, as she hugged Tonks goodbye, and promised not to be a stranger.

They walked down to the end of a quiet road before apparating back home. Hermione had been shaken all day, and it had not escaped Sirius' notice.

"Hermione, please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded, leading her to sit down in the sitting room when they returned. The room was one the didn't often spend time in, but it had a cosy feel, with a large grandfather clock and candles lining the walls.

"Is it something I've done?" She shook her head, fighting back tears again. She couldn't quite explain why she was crying, but assumed it was a mixture of fear, shock, uncertainty, and pregnancy hormones. It had all happened so fast.

"Please, sweetheart, tell me. What ever it is, I'm sure it isn't so bad that we can't deal with it..."

She looked into his dark eyes, so full of concern for her. "I think..." she began, her voice quiet and wobbly, "I think I'm...pregnant."

Sirius' sharp intake of breath was audible. "Hermione..." She started to cry in earnest now, and he pulled her to him on the sofa, kissing her hair and trying to soothe her. "How long have you known?" he asked eventually, his mind abuzz with thoughts.

"Yesterday," she sniffled. "Sorry I didn't tell you..."

"That's alright, love," he reassured, and she snuggled against his chest, as he continued to hold her.

"It's so soon..."

"It is," Sirius agreed. He'd known this day would surely come, but it really was _so_ soon.

"Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"I'm scared..." Her blunt admission caught him off guard.

"It's a big thing...You're allowed to be scared."

"What if I'm not ready?"

He thought about it, thought back to the times he'd watched her with Teddy and Meredith. "I think you are ready, pet. And anyway - we've got nine months."

"Mhmm." She started to cry again.

"Hey now, love, it's OK. We're going to do this together, alright?" She nodded, her body shuddering as she held back sobs.

"I should be happier..." she managed to choke out, and the thought made her cry harder.

"You shouldn't_ be_ anything. Your reaction is unsurprising. This is a huge thing, Hermione. It doesn't make you a bad person because you're not thrilled right now. You're going to make an amazing mother..."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're an incredible woman. You're caring, and loving, sweet, and good. And you're clever. Combine all those things? Trust me, you will be a fantastic mother." He touched her stomach lightly. "That baby in there is very lucky. _I'm _very lucky..." He leant down, and kissed her gently on the forehead, as her breathing calmed. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

**[Please review! x]**


	21. Chapter 21

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Hi guys, sorry for the long time it's taken me to update! School's been hectic recently. Thank you all so much for the reviews. Also, could you all do me a little favor? I've created a poll (link on my profile) asking about the age-range and gender of my readers. This is just for my personal curiosity, and isn't going to effect what I write, and all of the votes are anonymous - please please please may you vote? I've only got one vote so far! Thank youuu :) I hope you enjoy this chapter x]**

**Warning: This chapter contains potentially upsetting and distressing themes to do with Hermione's pregnancy. I do not claim to have any medical knowledge, but I've tried my best to make it realistic. Please do not read on if you think you might be easily distressed. Also contains strong language.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

Sirius paced the sterile corridor of St. Mungo's hospital, turning sharply on his heel as he reached the wall, and turning to return to where he'd come from. _13 minutes_. _It shouldn't be much longer now..._

"Mr Black?" A nurse in the typical Healer robes of lime green appeared from the door of the room Hermione was being seen in. He strode towards her, worry etched across his face. "You can come in now."

He followed the young witch hastily into the room, and relief flooded over him as he was met by his smiling wife. "Is everything alright?" he asked the older Healer, wrapping an arm around Hermione as he sat down next to her, and planting a kiss on her head.

"Everything's just fine, Mr Black. Our original analysis was mistaken - it was a false alarm on our part. We're sorry for the distress this has caused you. Mrs Black is doing perfectly well for this stage in her pregnancy. We don't foresee any problems, but we wouldn't recommend telling anyone until a few more weeks have passed."

Sirius' jaw was clenched. "You were "mistaken"?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The Healer gulped, and looked a little shifty. "Our original analysis was mistaken, yes Mr Black."

"How did that happen?" Sirius demanded to know, trying to keep his voice restrained.

"Well," the Healer began nervously, shifting in her chair, "When we carried out our preliminary blood testing, the results showed potential problems in Mrs Black's vital levels." She looked away as Sirius narrowed his eyes. "But, when we carried out our examinations, we found that, in fact, Mrs Black is not at any risk..." She trailed off, crossing and uncrossing her legs.

"So what you're saying is that you put my wife through unnecessarily intrusive examinations for no good reason?" His voice was becoming dangerously low.

"Siri," Hermione began soothingly, stroking his arm, "Madam Runan only did what she thought was best for me and the baby-"

"Sweetie?" Sirius said, looking down at Hermione, his eyes still full of anger at the Healer: "Madam Runan made a stupid mistake, and terrified both of us." He turned to the woman opposite him again. "There is no room for careless errors when it comes to my wife and my child. In the future we'll be seeing another Healer." He rose to his feet, and offered Hermione his hand. She got up too, shooting an apologetic look at Madam Runan. Sirius had already fired another Healer before this one, for being too "severe". Now they were moving on to their third in a week.

"Thank you for your time, Madam Runan," Sirius said coldly, and led Hermione out of the room, back into the white-washed corridor.

"I want only the best for you, love. I'll find someone better." Hermione could only nod. She couldn't fault his motivations, even if his approach to the matter had been a little harsh on the Healers he deemed "unfit" to care for her.

"I'm so glad you're OK," he said, his voice softer now that they were heading home.

"Me too," Hermione smiled, relieved that he was calming down. In the week since she'd discovered her pregnancy, she'd grown rather attached to the baby growing inside her, and Madam Runan's false alarm really had distressed her.

They reached the exit of St. Mungo's and linked arms to apparate back home. Sirius led Hermione straight into the living room - he had been keeping her away from the library for the last few days, and she could only assume it had something to do with her birthday tomorrow. Otherwise she couldn't imagine what he might be hiding in there...

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, watching as she sat down on the sofa.

"Sirius, I'm only a couple of weeks pregnant - please don't worry about me. Come and sit." He joined her, and she took his hands in his, looking closely at his face. "You're so tense," she said, leaning up to kiss him tenderly. "Please relax - we're fine, I promise."

He exhaled, trying to loosen up. "I don't want anything to go wrong..."

"It won't. You're excessive worrying is very, very sweet, but mostly misplaced, Siri. And seeing you this stressed doesn't make me anymore relaxed. If I'm worried about anything, I'll tell you, and you can worry for me and look after me, but as things stand, I'm perfectly happy."

Sirius nodded, and pulled her closer to him. He hadn't realized how capable he was of worrying for two. It was exhausting.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to stay calm from now on." She kissed him again, and rested against his chest, tucking her legs up behind her on the sofa. The remained in that comfortable position for quite a few minutes, although Sirius' mind was working furiously, calculating who would be the best Healer for Hermione. Madam Runan had been St. Mungo's recommendation - she was no good for them. He could always ask Molly, in confidence, who she-

"MASTER BLACK!" Sirius was jolted back to reality, and Hermione sat up quickly, as Ofeero, his personal house-elf, rushed in, coming to an abrupt halt in front of him. "This came for Master Black. Urgent..." he thrust a short length of parchment at Sirius, and doubled over, catching his breath. Hermione wondered where he'd come from to be this tired out...

"Fuck," Sirius growled, gently pushing Hermione away from him and rising to his feet. "Get my cloak, Ofeero," he snapped, and the poor creature scuttled out.

"What? What is it?" Hermione asked, concerned by his expression. "Sirius?"

"Auror business," he snapped, scanning the parchment a third time. Hermione remained silent until he looked down at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap." He sighed in agitation. "I have to go now - it's an emergency." He leant down and kissed her quickly on the forehead, before pulling away and taking Ofeero's outstretched cloak. He was already in Auror-mode.

"Don't wait up-" he called out behind him as he swept from the room. He didn't hear her answer:

"I always wait..."

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione tried to occupy her mind with school work for the rest of the afternoon, so as not to worry too much about Sirius. However, by six-thirty, she'd finished and proof-read her Potions essay, perfected two new charms, and read two chapters in advance for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her mind drifted back to Sirius. She glanced at the clock. He'd been gone for just over four hours. She really hoped he'd be back soon. The big house was lonely without his presence.

The two had settled into a good routine, and their relationship had been strengthened by the baby, although Hermione couldn't help but worry that the relationship had been 'fast-tracked', unnaturally quickly by her pregnancy.

She was also concerned about her friends - she was spending so much time at home that she had barely seen Ginny recently. Ron's general mood had improved, and she had been replacing the sleeping-draughts she was smuggling to him with coloured water, with continued success. Harry was perpetually irritated with Padma, but continued to put a brave face on it, despite Padma's rudeness. She was being so moody recently that she'd even managed to alienate her friends, and Lavender and Luna had left Parvati to deal with her twin's temper. Hermione only wished there was something she could do.

She strolled around the house, resisting the overwhelming urge to sneak a look in the library. The house-elves were busy making dinner, which Hermione prayed Sirius would be in time to share with her. By the time the clock struck seven, her stomach was calling for her to eat, and she sat down to dinner alone.

By nine that evening, she was starting to become quite agitated with worry, but tried to remind herself that Sirius always came back unharmed. Always. Always..._He'll be fine_, she tried to tell herself, but still she couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that he should be home by now.

"Sela?" she called, and the house-elf appeared before her. "Have you heard anything from Sirius?"

Sela shook her head. "Sela has not, Mistress. Sela is sorry."

Hermione nodded sadly, and curled up on the sofa. Sela lingered. "Would you like anything, Mistress?"

"I'm alright, thank you Sela."

"Master Black asked Sela to make sure that you didn't stay up late for him..."

"I can't go to bed with Sirius still out there, Sela." The house-elf nodded slightly at Hermione's firm statement. "You can go, Sela, unless there's anything else...?"

Sela shifted. "Mistress?"

"Yes Sela?"

"Can Sela ask you something?"

"Of course..."

"What will you name the baby?"

Hermione smiled at such a sweet question, then frowned slightly. "How did you know...?"

Agin Sela shifted shyly on her small feet. "House-elves can sense these things..."

Hermione smiled, surprised she hadn't known this before. "I don't know what I'm going to call it, Sela. I'll let you know when I decide, though."

"Thank you, Mistress. Sela will leave you know. Call if you need anything." She disappeared with a pop, leaving Hermione to her thoughts again.

*.*.*.*.*

When Hermione was woken, it was pitch black outside. She immediately muttered a charm to draw the curtains, and light the candles. She got up groggily, and paused, as someone knocked on the door again.

"Hermione?" a familiar voice was calling her, although she couldn't quite place it. She drew her wand as a precaution.

"Who is it?" she called in return, approaching the door slowly.

"Remus. I'm coming in."

Hermione breathed in relief and lowered her wand, pushing the hair out of her face as Remus entered the room. He looked awful.

"Remus - what's wrong?"

"Hermione," he said, walking towards her and clasping her shoulders. "Don't panic. I need you to come with me, now."

"Where's Sirius?" Hermione demanded, panicking. Remus grasped her shoulders tightly.

"Hermione, Sirius has been injured. He's at St. Mungo's. We need to go now."

Hermione paled, and a wave of faintness washed over her. She would have collapsed if it hadn't been for Remus holding her up. He waited for the briefest of moments for her to regain her composure, before gripping her arm and turning on the stop, bringing them both into the atrium of the hospital. The clock told Hermione it was just after midnight. _Her birthday..._

"What happened?" Hermione asked, rushing to keep up with Remus, who was striding through the hospital she'd last been in only a few hours before. Remus didn't reply until they reached the forth floor, keeping his eyes fixed firmly ahead. "What happened?" Hermione demanded again, planting herself in Remus' path so that he was forced to answer her.

"Sirius engaged in a dual with a criminal - an escapee from Azkaban. He won, but at a cost."

"What cost?" The fear was audible in Hermione's quivering voice. "Remus? What cost?" He didn't reply, but took her hand and led her into a private room, guarded by a tall man at the door, an Auror, judging by his brown trench-coat. He let her pass without question. _Why does he need a guard?_ Hermione wondered.

When they entered the room, Hermione gasped. Sirius was unconscious, lying flat out on the bed, attached by wires and tubes to various whirring machines. In her few visits to St. Mungo's, she'd never seen such Muggle-looking contraptions. _This must be bad_, she thought, reaching the side of his bed and taking his hand in hers. "Siri..." His hand was cooler than she'd felt it before.

A Healer bustled into the room. "Master Grenthem," he stated, offering Hermione his hand to shake. "You must be Mrs Black." She nodded and shook his hand, before taking Sirius' again.

"What's wrong with him?" she whispered, as the Healer flicked one of the machines and marked the readings on a floating parchment.

"Your husband was hit by a number of dark spells during the dual. The full extent of damage caused is still impossible to determine. At the moment he's in a critical condition. His lungs are weak, and this machine here," he tapped a grey box to his left, "Is helping him breath. We're running tests to see if we can work out what's causing his unconsciousness."

"Thank you, Master Grenthem..."

He looked at her sympathetically. "I'll leave you alone with him. Pull on the rope behind you if you need anything and a nurse will assist you. I hope I'll have some good news for you soon..."

Hermione nodded and the Healer left the room, shutting the door gently behind him. Remus sighed, and pulled up a chair for Hermione to sit next to the bed. She took it gratefully and he sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry - I should have warned you. I was in shock myself." He said, patting her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"How did you know? Were you there with him?" Hermione asked, her eyes never leaving Sirius.

"Tonks was called - the message went through to all Aurors, even though she's still on maternity leave. When I heard it was Sirius, I came straight away."

"Do you know what happened?"

"The message we received was short - it said that he had been forced to engage in one-on-one combat with an escaped prisoner, a very dangerous man. He won, as you know, and the convict is back in Azkaban, maximum security. But he did some considerable damage to Sirius, and he collapsed as he was trying to arrest the bastard."

Hermione nodded, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Remus noticed and passed her a folded handkerchief. "He's a hero."

"Don't say that." Hermione said through her sniffling. "It sounds like something you'd say at a..._funeral_."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that at all. Sirius is strong, Hermione. He can get through this."

"We don't even know what he's up against..."

"We will, soon."

"I hope so...I wish there was something I could do..."

"Being here is enough."

They sat in worried silence, the buzzing and whirs of the machinery keeping them company.

"Am I right in thinking it's your birthday today?" Remus asked after a while.

Hermione nodded, remembering. "Happy birthday, Hermione. I wish you many more."

She tried to smile, but failed. _I wish them for Sirius..._

All of a sudden, one of the machines started beeping furiously, the frequency and pitch of the beeps rising quickly. Two nurses rushed in, and located the relevant machine, just as another one began flashing red and a siren-like noise flooded the room. A third nurse rushed in, and moved Hermione and Remus into a corner, having to physically drag Hermione away from the bed. Master Grenthem raced in, just as the third machine produced a horrendous buzzing noise, which didn't relent. It sounded like it was flatlining...

The scene felt like slow-motion to Hermione. She reached out to Sirius, but Remus caught her and pulled her back, gripping her tightly so as to hold her in place as the Healers worked around Sirius, shouting to each other. She struggled in his arms, crying out, until everything went quiet, and she fell backwards. Remus held her up, pulling over to a chair and sitting her down, as he knelt beside her and held her head up so that she could breath. Behind them, Grenthem had decided to take Sirius into surgery, and was unhooking him from the wires and tubes.

When Hermione came round, she just caught a glimpse of Sirius' bed disappearing out of the door before it was shut again, and only she and Remus remained. She cried out, trying desperately to stand up, but Remus held her down, knowing that chasing after Sirius would do no good. She fought him, pushing with all her strength against his arms until she was able to stand. As soon as she did, she regretted it, as she doubled over with terrible stomach cramps. "Ah," she cried, clutching her abdomen, and dropping back down into the chair.

"Hermione?"

She remained doubled over on the chair, clenching her jaw as the cramps washed over her. "Ah..." she choked out again.

"I'll call a Healer-"

"No! I'm fine." She tried to rise, and almost threw up.

"Hermione..." Remus' eyes widened. "You're bleeding..."

"I'm fine," she lied, sitting down again, refusing to look down at her legs.

"You're not _fine_!"

"I'm...I think I'm having a miscarriage," she whispered, and covered her mouth with her hand as a sob wracked her body.

Remus froze, staring at her, until sense returned, and he tugged on the rope behind him. Hermione buried her head in her hands in desperation.

Remus dropped to his knees in front of her and stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry, Hermione..."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please please review and vote in my poll - link on my profile :) I'll to update ASAP. Thank you for reading x]**


	22. Chapter 22

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Hello everyone! Once again I have to apologize for the slow update, especially after the horrible cliff hanger! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed - some very helpful feedback :) - and everyone who voted in my poll. If anyone's interested, you can see the breakdown of the votes on my profile, but in short, the majority of my readers are females between ages 13-30, which I guess I was pretty much expecting :) If you haven't voted, please do! The poll's still open. Thank you! Enjoy Chapter 22 x]**

**Warning: This chapter contains potentially upsetting and distressing themes to do with Hermione's pregnancy (as in Chapter 21). I do not claim to have any medical knowledge, but I've tried my best to make it realistic. Please do not read on if you think you might be easily distressed.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

Hermione spent the morning of her birthday in a hospital bed. The Healers had confirmed the loss of her baby (she wished they'd stop calling it the "fetus"), and she was tragically torn between grieving for the lost child and worrying about Sirius. She had passed out just after a Healer had rushed in, and when she'd woken, the room had been empty. She vaguely wondered where Remus was, but her mind was far too full to think about him for long. She was so distressed that she didn't even think about that fact that it was her birthday.

She was terrified for Sirius. More so than she'd ever been, not even in the War. At least then, she knew that she could count on someone to save her. No one could do anything more now, the Healers had said, an hour ago. They'd _done all they could for him_. They would _just have to wait and see. _She wasn't even allowed to see him, even if they would let her out of bed, which seemed unlikely at the moment. He was to be kept in isolation until he woke up from his surgery. The Healers had claimed it had gone well. All Hermione could do was pray to whoever was listening that they were right about that.

Her hand strayed down to her abdomen. It felt flatter now, although she had to admit to herself that they'd never been a bump to begin with. When the tears started to flow again, she barely felt them. Her cheeks hadn't dried from her last tears. All the excitement she'd been beginning to feel about becoming a mother, despite her trepidation, had been abruptly halted. There would be no need to buy a cot, no need to read those pregnancy books she'd purchased. They wouldn't need to find a new Healer for her. And she'd have to tell Sirius. _Sirius_... And her mind was back on him, lying all alone somewhere on the other side of St. Mungo's, unconscious.

She felt utterly helpless. Lost. Empty. Angry about it all. When the Healers and Nurses came into check on her, she felt withdrawn. She nodded politely and thanked them when they brought water, but she was elsewhere. As much as she longed for some company, she was simultaneously glad to be alone.

"Mrs Black?" A new Healer broke her train of thought. He was tall and lean, with dark skin and a pleasant face. "I'm Master Dorianne. I've just taken over the shift. How are you feeling?" His tone was soft and gentle, and he sounded genuinely concerned. Hermione warmed to him.

"I feel lost." She whispered, and his brown eyes filled with sympathy. He perched on the edge of her bed, and took her cold hand between his, setting the chart down beside him.

"It's a normal reaction, Mrs Black. And it must be even more distressing for you, with Mr Black in the hospital too..."

"Is there any news?"

He shook his head. "I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything." He paused, and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Mrs Black. There isn't anything I can say to comfort you now. But if there's anything I can do...?" She shook her head despondently, and he lowered her hand, rising from the bed with her chart.

He had almost reached the door when she asked: "Was it my fault?"

He turned back to her. "No, of course it wasn't. It wasn't anyone's fault. These things happen, Mrs Black. It was very early days, as you know. It's a tragedy, but it could happen to anybody. And the shock you experienced before hand...it wouldn't have been the lone cause. But..." he sighed. "These things happen. I'm very sorry."

Hermione nodded, sniffling back tears, and Master Dorianne left the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

She was left alone for a few minutes, before a nurse came in. Hermione gritted her teeth. This particular nurse had been bustling in and out all morning. She was short and blonde and far too perky to be working in a hospital ward on a Monday morning. "Mrs Black!" she greeted cheerily, as if Hermione was an old friend she'd bumped into on the street. Hermione nodded at her coldly, which did nothing to dampen the nurse's mood. "You have a visitor. Shall I let her in?"

"Who is it?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Images of Rita Skeeter flashed in her mind.

"One Minerva McGonagall. She's very eager to see you."

Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about this. She'd far rather have seen Ginny, but it was very kind of McGonagall to visit her. And maybe she had news... "Let her in, please."

"Right away." The annoying nurse scuttled out of the room, and moments later brisk footsteps could be heard approaching the room.

"Hermione!" McGonagall rushed through the door, and straight to her bedside. It was odd to be addressed as "Hermione" by McGonagall - she had always called her "Miss Granger", even after her marriage, as she had done for all of her female pupils who had technically changed their name.

"Professor," Hermione choked out, tears welling up again. McGonagall clutched her hand.

"What happened? I got word this morning about Sirius - I'm so sorry - and so I wasn't surprised when you were missing from my lesson. But I got to reception and they directed me to your own room! Were you injured with Sirius?"

Hermione gulped, and looked down. She'd assumed McGonagall would have known, having forgotten about patient confidentially. The Healers and Nurses were magically bound - they _couldn't_ reveal personal information about any patient in their care without express permission.

"I wasn't with Sirius," Hermione began, her voice shaking. McGonagall's concerned eyes searched her face. "I...I was pregnant. I miscarried early this morning, just after Sirius was taken into surgery."

McGonagall didn't reply for a moment, frozen with shock. She'd had no idea... "Oh, Hermione..." She sat on the edge of the bed, where Master Dorianne had sat minutes earlier, and reached into her robes, producing an embroidered handkerchief which she passed to her favourite student. "I'm so sorry, my dear." She thought about it as Hermione wiped her eyes. "Oh, this must be so dreadfully hard for you."

All Hermione could do was nod. "And you've been alone all morning...You poor thing."

"Remus was with me, but I don't know where he went..." Hermione sobbed, and McGonagall could only just make out the name "Remus".

"Remus is here?" she asked, and Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Oh my dear...Would you like me to try to bring a friend here? Miss Weasley, perhaps?"

Hermione nodded. Now that McGonagall had mentioned it, she realized that she really did want to see her best friend. "Yes, please."

"Alright," McGonagall said, standing up purposefully, and glad to be doing something to help. "I'll bring her here."

"Thank you," Hermione cried. "And Professor?"

"Yes, dear?"

Hermione swallowed. "Will you please tell her what's happened? I don't want to have to explain it all over again..."

McGonagall nodded resolutely. "Of course."

*.*.*.*.*

Before Ginny could be brought to St. Mungo's, Hermione had another visitor: a sheepish looking Remus Lupin, pale as snow and finding it hard to meet her eye. Her first thoughts were for Sirius.

"What's happened, Remus? Is it Sirius?"

The werewolf looked up, confused, and blinked at her for a minute. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I don't have any news about Sirius."

Hermione slumped back onto her pillows, relieved yet disappointed. Remus stood awkwardly in the corner. "You disappeared," Hermione stated, after a minute.

"I know. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have left you. I stayed with you, after you'd passed out. I sat in here, next to you, until you're eyelids started to flutter, and you looked like you might wake up. And then I ran..."

"Why?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.

"I feel dreadful, Hermione. I think it's my fault..."

"What?" Now she really was confused.

"The miscarriage," he whispered, as if it were a secret. "I had no idea, and I was so rough with you, when I was holding you back. I used too much force, and-"

"Remus, stop! The Healer said: it was nobody's fault. Even if you were rough, you had to be to hold me back. And you didn't know. This isn't your fault." He didn't look convinced.

"Come here." Hermione held out her hand to him, and he stepped forward gingerly. "Sit." He perched on her bed, still averting his eyes.

"Please don't blame yourself. I don't blame you." She took his hand. "Look, the Nurse pulled me away from Sirius before you ever touched me. It would have been worse if I'd chased after him, and you know it."

"But I was so rough..."

"You didn't know." She said simply. Finally, Remus turned to face her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." She smiled weakly at him. "Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Would you please go and check on Sirius for me?"

He nodded, and stood up. "Sure. But, Hermione, I don't think we can expect any news anytime soon. I was there just a minute ago - he's stable, but he's not awake."

"Are there Healers around him?"

"There are two stationed just outside, and there's a nurse hovering over his machines, watching his stats. He's being well cared for."

She nodded, and he left the room, leaving her alone again.

*.*.*.*.*

Ginny certainly took her time in getting there. Hermione started to wonder if McGonagall had forgotten to find her at all. When she finally knocked on the door, Hermione was feeling slightly annoyed. It had been three hours since Remus left, and she'd had only the chirpy Nurse for company since then.

"Hi," Ginny said weakly, entering the room with a bouquet of flowers, which she handed awkwardly to Hermione. "Hermione, I'm so sorry I took so long. I...I didn't know what I should say or do..."

Hermione sighed, and took the flowers. Pale pink orchids. Her favourite. She set them down on the table next to her bed, and beckoned Ginny over. When she was close enough, she reached out her arms, and embraced her friend. It was hard to stay mad at her, given the circumstances. Ginny exhaled in relief, and positioned herself on the bed, without breaking the hug. When Hermione pulled away, it was to wipe her eyes.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're here."

"I had no idea...you didn't tell me."

"I was less than a month gone-" Hermione's voice caught in her throat, and she swallowed. "Only Sirius and I knew." Ginny nodded, unsure of what to say next. Hermione continued.

"I feel so...silly. Lots of pregnancies end like this. I wasn't even very far along. I just...I felt like it was the right time. I thought I wanted to finish my exams first. I hoped I wouldn't get pregnant until next summer, at least. But..."

Ginny rubbed her back as tears started to fall again. "It's not silly, 'Mione. It's normal. I think I'd feel the same. And with Sirius as well...I can't imagine what you're going through."

"I'm so scared for him. What if..."

"He'll be okay, don't worry. I spoke to a Nurse briefly. She says he's got through the worst."

"I want to see him."

"Shall I ask someone?"

"They'll say no..."

"It's worth asking."

"OK," Hermione concurred, although she doubted they'd agree.

Ginny returned a couple of minutes later, the perpetually cheerful nurse in tow. "Mrs Black," she cooed patronizingly, coming to stand too close to Hermione. "Your friend tells me you'd like to see your husband?"

Hermione nodded, refraining from a bitter retort. _Of course I'd like to see my husband. I've been asking all morning_.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Mrs Black. Protocol states that you must remain in bed for at least a few more hours. And Mr Black is in isolation until he comes around."

Hermione sighed, and Ginny looked disappointed behind the nurse. "Fine," Hermione snapped, failing to hide her irritation now. There was an awkward silence, until the Nurse's wand flashed, and she hurried out to go to another patient.

"Sorry." Ginny said meekly.

"Worth a try." Hermione shrugged, and lay back against her pillows.

*.*.*.*.*

The two girls spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon stretched out on Hermione's bed. Ginny bought a few boxes of chocolate frogs from the gift shop, and pretty soon the floor was covered in wrappers. Hermione's mood was lifted slightly as she watched the irritating nurse clearing up the mess they were creating.

She was still feeling depressed and scared beyond belief for Sirius, but Ginny did her best to keep her distracted, listening when Hermione wanted to talk and filling her in with trivial gossip when Hermione wanted to think about something else. Ginny refrained from telling her friend the biggest rumor going about the school - that Padma might be pregnant.

As the evening approached, Hermione grew more and more frustrated. She was fine - physically at least - and was itching to get out of her room, to see Sirius. She was strangely homesick - she longed for the normality of a Monday evening: coming home from Hogwarts, dinner with Sirius, relaxing or studying until it was time for bed, cuddling with Sirius. She even found herself missing Sela. She wondered if anyone had informed the house-elves, or if they had been left waiting all day, worrying...

When Master Dorianne finally came in with the discharge parchment for her to sign, she was beyond grateful to him, and wasted no time in locating Sirius' room, Ginny hurrying closely behind her.

Sirius' new room was much the same as his original one, but was even more heavily guarded, and, as Remus had reported, Healers and Nurses in abundance hovered around him. There was a general hush has Hermione approached the room, and a male Nurse opened the door for her. There was no need for her to show ID - they all knew full well who she was.

Sirius was on his back, attached to even more contractions than he had been before. The only thing which could comfort Hermione was his face - he was distinctly less pale than he had been earlier, and when she took his hand in his, it was almost a normal temperature. For the first time that morning, she felt hope rise in her chest. _He might just be OK..._

The machines were beeping and flashing steadily, and the graphs she caught a glimpse of showed no worrying looking patterns. Everything seemed to be fine. _Except he's still unconscious_, she thought.

Hermione probably wouldn't have noticed Remus enter, if it hadn't have been for Ginny greeting him softly at the door. He came up to the other side of the bed. "I heard you were discharged. I'm glad."

Hermione didn't take her eyes off Sirius, looking so vulnerable before her, but murmured a 'thank you'. A thought struck her: "Does Harry know?"

Remus replied: "No - I thought about sending him an owl, but I don't want to worry him until we have more solid news. Do you agree with that?"

Hermione considered. "That's probably best."

Ginny pulled up a chair for her, and she perched on the edge of the seat, making sure that she could still watch Sirius' face. A nurse came in to take a blood sample.

"When do you expect him to wake up?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"It should be any time now, Mrs Black. All we can do is wait."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please review! I'm sorry about the baby, but I promise this story ****_will_**** have a happy ending, just not quite yet. And I promise to update as soon as I can possibly manage! x]**


	23. Chapter 23

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Sorry for the slow update :s I've been a busy bee, but I'm hoping to update more regularly for the next couple of weeks. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed - you make my day every time 3 Enjoy x]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

Hermione waited by Sirius' bed. And waited. Remus left to check on Tonks and his children. Ginny had to return to Hogwarts. The Nurses who had been on duty went home for the night, and the new shift of staff arrived. And still Sirius slept.

Hermione couldn't. She sat on the seat Ginny had drawn up, her hand never releasing Sirius'. When the light of the morning began to seep through the windows, Hermione realized that the 19th was officially over. She was glad - she couldn't remember a worse birthday. Surely things could only get better.

She had to wait until nearly 9am before Sirius stirred. His hand fluttered in hers, and she thought she felt him flex his fingers slightly. Then a small noise escaped his throat, and she stood up quickly, making herself feel a little dizzy, and leant over him. One of the machines he was attached to flashed green, which Hermione took to be a good sign, and a new Nurse entered the room. For once, the Nurse wasn't rushing, and Hermione had never been more relieved to see someone walking and not running.

"Siri?" She asked gently, brushing his hair back into place with her hand as he moved his head to the side. "Siri?". She felt tears spring to her eyes despite herself with the sheer relief.

Slowly but surely, Sirius' eyes opened, and he blinked at the bright light from the window. The Nurse hurried to shut the blind for him. "Hermione?" His voice was croaky from lack of use, but he cleared his throat, and Hermione handed him a glass of water, helping him to prop himself up on his pillows.

"What happened?" Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but words wouldn't come. The Nurse saw her struggle, and interceded, explaining briefly how Sirius had ended up there, what they'd done, and what day it was. His dark eyes darted about the room as he listened, and he rubbed his temples, as if trying to remember.

"...You may have a slight headache until you've fully woken up," the Nurse concluded, smiling at the way her patient was looking at his wife. "I'll be just outside, if you need anything, Mr Black," she said softly, backing out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Hermione giggled through her tears, her relief at his waking up transparent. "I was so scared," she murmured, and Sirius shuffled to the side of his bed, pulling her in next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and listened to his heart beating. It sounded comfortingly strong.

"Do you remember anything that happened?" She could feel Sirius shake his head.

"I remember the dual. We ended up in an alleyway, somehow...Oh, that's right, he'd jumped off a building. But then he found he was trapped. So I seized the moment, and jumped down after him. And then I remember knocking him out. And the other came in, and restrained him...And then I was on a stretcher..."

Hermione gulped. "I'm so glad you're OK..."

Sirius hugged her tightly from the side, and nuzzled her hair. "That was on Sunday night...Have you been here all this time?"

Hermione's eyes, which had been shut, snapped open. She'd been so relieved about Sirius, she'd almost forgotten...She felt the tears threatening to spill over again.

"I-" she started, but her voice caught in her throat. Sirius stilled behind her.

"What's wrong, love?"

She took a deep breath - and lied. "Nothing." She swiveled round to face him, hastily wiping her eyes. "I'm just so glad you're alright. I missed you."

Sirius' worried expression melted into a shy smile. "I love you."

*.*.*.*.*

Sirius was still a little groggy as his body woke up, and Hermione lay, snuggled in his arms, for the rest of the morning. The moment he remembered, Sirius couldn't stop apologizing for missing Hermione's birthday, but she repeatedly told him not to be so silly, that it was hardly his fault. Still, he promised to make it up to her as soon as they got home.

The Healers had come in at around noon, and formed something of a panel around the bed, discussing when they thought their patient should be allowed home. The general consensus had been that he was technically well enough to leave that afternoon, but that they'd feel more comfortable keeping him under observation until Wednesday at least. Sirius wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Hermione agreed with the Healers - she wanted him to have the best possible care for as long as possible. Purely to placate his young wife's worrying, Sirius reluctantly agreed to stay until the next day.

Sirius' fellow Aurors came in to visit in the afternoon of that Tuesday, and Hermione was forced out of the bed so that Sirius could talk to his colleagues and friends properly. She took the time to slip from the room unnoticed, and sought out the nearest Nurse.

"Mrs Black, what can I do for you?" a kind looking Nurse asked her as she approached.

"I need to ask you a favour," Hermione began, her voice hushed. "My husband-...My husband doesn't know about my _treatment_ yesterday. I don't want him to find out. Not yet."

The Nurse looked confused, and her eyes darted down to her chart, scanning the various names until she found Hermione's. She looked back up at the young woman in front of her.

"_You haven't told him about the miscarriage_?" she asked quietly, concern filling her blue eyes.

Hermione shook her head, and shushed her. "He's only just woken up." She glanced over her shoulder into his room. He was surrounded by friends, and laughing. "I can't do it. Look at him..."

The Nurse followed her gaze, and nodded sympathetically. She put a comforting hand on Hermione's arm. "Mrs Black, I understand. And our confidentiality agreements would prevent us from divulging the information anyway. But, I would urge you to tell him as soon as you can bear. I don't know your husband, but I think he needs to know the truth."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip to hold back tears. "I know." She looked back at Sirius once again. "I'll tell him soon."

*.*.*.*.*

When she reentered the room, the Aurors were raising a toast to Sirius: "The hero!" they said in unison, and knocked back what Hermione suspected was something alcoholic one of them had smuggled in. Only Tonks stood back from the crowd, and embraced Hermione as she came in.

"How are you holding up?"

Hermione shrugged non-committedly, and smiled weakly at the older woman.

Tonks pulled Hermione gently into a corner. "Hermione, I _know_. Remus told me."

"Oh."

"I'm so sorry..."

"You haven't told Sirius?"

Tonks' eyebrows knitted together. "No...You haven't told him yet? Hermione..."

"Shhh," Hermione hushed her, glancing behind her. Sirius was asking the other Aurors about the details of what had happened. "I can't. I just can't."

"But-"

"I _will_. I will tell him, soon. But I haven't yet. Please don't say anything."

Tonks nodded, and Hermione mouthed: "Thank you."

"Hermione! Hermione, come over here," Sirius called from the middle of the crowd, and Hermione went to him immediately. "Dale was just telling the story - listen to this..."

Hermione perched next to Sirius on his bed, and listened as the man she assumed to be Dale and another couple of Aurors recounted the story of Sirius' 'bravery'. She should have been proud, and happy that her husband had acted so _courageously_. But she couldn't be. Not when it transpired that Sirius' actions had been, as far as she could see, _unnecessary _and overly _risky_. Unbidden, annoyance rose in her.

She sat with her lips pursed, nodding politely, until eventually the Aurors started to drift away, some going back to work, some back to their families. Tonks must have left somewhere during the story, because when Dale left, only the Blacks remained. Hermione sat still.

Sirius sighed behind her, and slipped a hand around her waist. "Would you please tell me what's wrong?" he breathed, planting a kiss behind her ear. "You're not yourself this afternoon..."

Hermione's eyes fluttered shut at his touch, but she forced herself to turn to face him, and wriggled out of his hold. "Why did you do that?" she snapped, her heart beat increasing.

Sirius looked stunned. "What did I do?"

"You risked your life to chase a highly dangerous criminal, Sirius. You jumped off a building into an enclosed alley, specifically to fight him."

"Hermione, that wasn't for fun. That's my _job_." He had become defensive, and folded his arms across his chest. Hermione got up off the bed, and glowered down at him.

"You didn't have to it. I heard Dale," she snapped, furiously brushing tears from her cheeks. "He said-" her voice caught, "He _said,_ that you could have dealt with it as a team. He _said_ that you acted "heroically" and "showed incredible courage" by jumping. But it wasn't necessary."

"Hermione, I-"

"No, be quiet for one minute, Sirius. What you did may have been brave and heroic, but from where I'm standing it was _stupid _and _dangerous. _You nearly _died,_ Sirius."

He paused, and looked at her, shaking with anger and tears in front of him. "I'm fine. I'm right here. Everything's alright, sweetheart. I'm sorry I scared you, it was selfish. But I'm okay..._We're okay._"

To this, Hermione couldn't reply. Her hand over her mouth covered her spluttering tears as she sank down into the chair next to the bed. Sirius watched as she tried to regain control over herself, wishing he could say something more to comfort her.

When she caught her breath, the eyes that met his were brimming with tears and suppressed emotions. Her voice was quiet. "You don't understand how I feel every time you go to work, Sirius. Everyday I worry about you. It's exhausting. And when you get called on emergencies..." she shook her head: "It _kills _me, every time, to watch you go."

Sirius exhaled loudly, and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he repeated, helplessly. "What do you want me to do? It's my job, Hermione. Don't worry about me..."

She wiped her face, her eyes never leaving his. "Don't worry?!" She took a deep breath. "All I do is worry. I want you to stop, Sirius. It's selfish of me to ask, but just this once I'm okay with being selfish. For my sake, please, just stop going. It's incredible what you do, and it's obvious that you're an amazing Auror, but-" She held back a sob: "I can't sit and home and wait to be called to St. Mungo's. I can't sit by your bed-side, and watch you hooked up to all these machines. I just _can't_."

"You want me to quit?"

She nodded slowly. "I want you to quit the danger." Sirius' mouth fell open slightly, as they stared at each other. He looked away, and began to shake his head, clearly irritated with her. "Sirius?" He ignored her. "Sirius - I have to tell you something."

When he still wouldn't look at her, Hermione stood up, mustering all her courage, and climbed onto his bed, placing herself opposite him. She took his hands in hers, and told him.

"Sirius, I lost the baby."

Sirius turned to face her slowly. Hermione had dropped her head, and her shoulder were shaking with silent sobs. His mouth opened and closed, but made no sound. He blinked down at her, in shock.

Eventually, when she still hadn't looked up him, and he hadn't said a word, he raised one of her hands to his mouth and kissed it gently. "Hermione, I'm so sorry..."

She raised her gaze to his. "I'm sorry."

His heart could have broken at the way she was looking at him. "I'll quit." Her eyes searched his in disbelief. "I will, Hermione, for you. No more emergencies, no more leaving in the night. I'll take on safe cases, and I'll never leave you alone. I promise."

Hermione's eyes were wide. "Really?"

He nodded. "You're more important. Our _family_ is more important." He moved his legs to the side, and pulled Hermione to lie next to him. She sighed, the weight of her secret having been lifted, the burden shared now.

"I really wanted to be a mother," she admitted quietly, and Sirius sighed in sadness.

"You will be, love. We'll try again. Don't worry about that."

*.*.*.*.*

With the evening came Harry, who had been told at last. Hermione left the two of them together, and sat for a while in the tea rooms upstairs. All she wanted now was to go home, and regretted asking for Sirius to be kept in for another night.

When she returned to Sirius' room Harry was still there, but the tension in the room was palpable.

"Hermione," he greeted smiling from a chair, but his normal warmth wasn't quite there.

"Harry has some news..." Sirius said, and Hermione approached them, perching on the edge of Sirius' bed. Harry cleared his throat.

"Padma's pregnant."

Hermione looked straight at Sirius, who visibly swallowed, waiting for her reaction. Harry sounded exhausted and terrified, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Harry dropped his head into his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. Neither Sirius nor Hermione could think of anything to say to the boy.

In the end, it was Harry who spoke. "I don't know what to do...I'm so lost."

"When did you find out?" Hermione's voice was harder than she'd hoped it would be, but Harry didn't seem to notice.

"This morning. Although I think she's known for longer." He barked a bitter laugh: "I'm pretty sure I was the last to know. Doesn't surprise me, either. I expect Padma will ensure that her _twin_ will see ten times more of the baby than I will..."

"Parvati is her sister, Harry...Maybe you should try being happy and not so bloody bitter-" Her tone took even Hermione by surprise.

"Hermione," Sirius warned, stroking her back soothingly, "Don't."

Harry looked up at her, stunned. "Good to know I at least have a supportive friend in you, Hermione..."

Hermione glared at him. It was wrong, but her anger at her own lost pregnancy was being taken out on her oldest friend. "Maybe you could try being a supportive husband," she snapped, ignoring Sirius' warning looks.

Harry rose suddenly, knocking his chair to the ground behind it. It clattered noisily on the marble floor.

"I can't believe you, Hermione. Look at you - you got lucky. Not all of us did. What happened to your sympathy?"

Hermione stood up too. "What happened to your patience? I feel sorry for Padma, you know. And your baby."

Harry gaped at her from across the room, fuming. "Hermione, apologize," Sirius commanded, his voice full of authority despite his current state, hooked up for multiple machines.

"I'm not a child, Sirius. Don't tell me to apologize."

"You're _acting_ like a child." Sirius looked pointedly at Harry. "Now, Hermione."

She opened her mouth to protest, and folded her arms. "_Now_, Hermione," Sirius ordered again, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.

"No."

"No? Hermione, apologize to my godson right now."

"Or what? I'm your _wife_, you can't speak to me like that."

The look that Sirius gave her sent shivers down her back, and she turned to Harry reluctantly. "Sorry," she muttered. She knew how childish she was being, but couldn't stop. The thought that Padma was pregnant, and she-...It was too much. Padma didn't know how lucky she was. Nor did Harry.

"Hermione, apologize properly."

"You know what, Sirius? Don't bother." Harry glared at Hermione, before smiling weakly at his godfather. "I hope you get home soon. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"Thank you, Harry," Sirius said wearily. Harry turned and stalked from the room back to the apparation point.

Hermione stood in the corner, her chest heaving with her heavy breathing. Adrenaline was still thumping in her blood.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sirius almost shouted from his position on the bed. "Harry needed us."

Hermione refused to turn to face him, glaring out of the glass door as she struggled to hold back tears. She'd hoped she would have run out of tears by now.

"_I_ needed you," she snapped irately. "You're my husband."

"I'm also Harry's godfather-"

"He doesn't need a godfather, he just needs a wake up call. He's acting like a child-"

"That's rich!" Sirius spluttered, "Look at yourself."

Hermione winced at his words. "You're meant to love me, for better or for worse." She finally turned to face him, and dropped her arms, making a conscious effort to look less like a child throwing a tantrum.

Sirius sighed, regarding her. "I do love you, Hermione. You know I do. I want to be there for Harry. I know this is hard for you, but Harry doesn't even know that you were..." he trailed off, not wanting to say the word.

Hermione wiped a tear off her cheek. "It's not fair."

"I know."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please review! Reviews make me so happy! x]**


	24. Chapter 24

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Once again, thank you for all of your reviews of the previous chapters. I smile every time I get a new one ^.^ Please keep on sending me your comments and suggestions :) x]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

Sirius and Hermione finally returned home in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when the moon was still low in the dark sky. Despite her resentment at Sirius' treatment of her in front of Harry, she felt inexplicably clingy, and hadn't left his side since the Chief Healer had come into his room to personally discharge him. Hermione had felt the now familiar tears rising and clutched his hand as she smiled and thanked the Healer.

Now it was approaching eight o'clock, and Hermione was still seated next to Sirius on one of the sofas in the living room - he was still keeping her away from the library, and now Hermione really could only assume it had something to do with her birthday.

They were sitting in amicable silence, when Sela bustled in. The house elf had been overjoyed to welcome her Master back home, and had fussed over the pair of them for a good ten minutes, before Sirius was compelled to gently dismiss her. Now she tugged at Hermione's skirt to get her attention.

"Mistress, Sela wonders when you would like to be dressed?"

"What for, Sela?" Hermione asked absently, reaching for Sirius' hand once again. He squeezed it and answered for Sela.

"You really should be heading for school soon, love. You've already missed two days, you don't want to be late..."

"But you're staying here." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

Sirius nodded, nonplussed as to where she was taking this. "The Healers recommended a day at home before I go back. Besides, I need to arrange an appointment to change my hours..." Hermione knew that he was referring to leaving behind his work on the more dangerous cases that came in the night.

"I don't want to leave you," she mumbled plaintively. Sela had taken a step back and was watching discreetly.

"Hermione, I'm fine. Really. I've been discharged..."

"Sirius, this time yesterday you were in a coma!"

"And now I'm in our living room." Hermione glared at him.

"Sela has laid out Mistress' school robes. Should Sela run Mistress a bath?"

Hermione was about to refuse, but Sirius cut in: "Hermione - go to school." Once again, Hermione resented his tone. Did he really see her as such a child? Or maybe she _was_ acting like one, although she hated to admit it.

She tried one last time, although she was resigned to defeat, and her heart wasn't in it. "I'm staying here with you."

Sirius gave her one of his dark, warning looks, which bizarrely aroused her slightly. She shifted in her seat as a shiver ran down her back, before swallowing and quickly composing herself. "Yes please, Sela. A bath would be lovely."

She rose, and leant down to Sirius, inhaling his masculine scent as she kissed him. As she reached the door, she remembered the library, and asked him what he was keeping in there.

"All will be revealed tonight, sweetheart. Trust me." His wink only served to arouse her more.

*.*.*.*.*

Having lingered over her bath, desperately hoping that Sirius might change his mind and agree to spend the day with her, Hermione found herself rushing down the chilly Hogwarts corridors on her way to Charms. Flitwick sent a glance her way as she practically skidded into the classroom, but said nothing. Hermione suspected that McGonagall had spoken to the staff, at the very least about Sirius. And even if she hadn't, Hermione knew from experience how quickly word spread at Hogwarts.

She sat in the first seat she came across, glad to have missed the inevitable awkwardness of breakfast with Harry. She couldn't bear to think what they would say to each other after the lesson was over.

Charms went quickly, and Hermione packed away her belongings and swept from the classroom briskly at the end, avoiding Harry and Ron, who had been seated further away from the door. She had a free period next (as did Harry, unfortunately), and for the first time was glad of the use of her bed in the Girls' Dormitory. She kicked her slightly heeled shoes off, and lay back on the firm mattress, hoping for a moment's peace to compose herself. Ginevra Weasley, however, had other plans.

"Hermione!" The younger girl bounded up to the bed, and clambered up next to Hermione, propping herself up on her side to look down at her friend. "How are you? I didn't see you at breakfast..."

"I was late, but I'm alright - you?" Hermione shifted so that she was propped up against the pillows, and Ginny followed suit.

"I've missed you."

"Me too."

There was a silence, not altogether comfortable.

"Did Harry tell you...?" Hermione asked tentatively. She was beginning to feel embarrassment at her behaviour with Harry, although the thought of Padma pregnant still wasn't sitting well with her.

Ginny nodded beside her. "He was pretty pissed off, actually." Hermione sighed.

"Do you think I'm a horrible person?"

"Of course not, Hermione," Ginny reassured, putting an arm around her shoulder and embracing her from the side. "You've been through a lot in the past few days. I don't think that Harry picked the right time to tell you."

"In his defense, he didn't know, about the..."

"No," Ginny cut in soothingly, "But he knew that Sirius had only just come around from a coma. That you'd been worried sick." Hermione sighed.

"Thanks, Ginny."

"You're welcome."

"Is he still angry at me?"

Ginny contemplated the question. "I think he's mostly over it. He's more worried about Padma now, as far as I can tell."

"Understandable..."

"He might appreciate an apology..." Ginny suggested, hoping it wouldn't upset Hermione. Hermione only nodded.

"Changing the subject," Ginny said, her voice lighter, and Hermione smiled in relief, "I still owe you a birthday present..." Hermione's face lit up. It was shallow, and materialistic, she kept telling herself, especially in light of all that had happened, but she was excited nonetheless.

"Wait a second-" Ginny said, and slipped off the bed, before delving into the trunk at foot of her own four-poster. "Close your eyes." Hermione obeyed, and heard Ginny's footsteps approaching the bed. "Hold out your hands," she commanded, and Hermione turned her palms face up, as Ginny set what felt like a book in them. "Okay, you can open." The excitement in her voice was palpable.

Hermione opened her eyes, and looked down to find herself holding a book-shaped package, wrapped in brown paper with a delicate pink bow sitting on top. Smiling, Hermione slipped the bow off, and flipped the parcel over, peeling back the paper. "I hope you love it..." Ginny said, watching her friend intently as she unwrapped.

When the paper was out of the way, Hermione was confronted with a chunky, square-shaped book, bound in black leather. She looked up at Ginny quizzically, before opening the book to the title page. "The Black Book of Spells" was printed in Ginny's handwriting in the middle of the thick parchment. Hermione read it twice, before laughing. It was a pun, she realized - a _black_ book, but also _Black_ - her new surname. She grinned at Ginny, who raised an eyebrow.

She flicked through the next few pages, scanning the contents, recognizing spells she'd read about, spell's she'd used, and spell's she'd still to learn. She looked up at Ginny quizzically as she reached the blank pages that made up much of the second half of the book.

"I don't spend _all_ my time with Neville," Ginny explained with a smile. "I've been working on this for a while now. Whenever I'm in the library, I use a different text book, and if there are any notes in the margins from previous students, I test them out. The ones that work, I've put in here for you. And I've copied out any interesting-sounding spells, although you've probably tried lots of them...But, there are some pretty helpful tips and tricks in there, if I do say so myself..." Hermione looked at her in awe.

"So this is a like a personal book of spells...?"

"Exactly. Except it's not all that personal - yet. That's what the blank pages are for. You can add whatever you like. My theory is, you could publish it one day..."

"Ginny, I don't know what to say...Thank you." Hermione set the book down gently, and threw her arms around Ginny's neck. "Thank you. This is wonderful."

Ginny laughed, and hugged her back. "Happy Belated Birthday, Hermione."

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione reentered the Common Room only when the clock struck eleven, and she had to leave for Transfiguration. She'd been wrapped up in reading her book of spells, marveling at the tricks Ginny had uncovered in the various library books she'd used, devouring the new knowledge, and had forgotten about Harry. Until now.

He was at the bottom of the staircase to the Boy's Dormitory, clearly having been to fetch his scarf, which he now wrapped around his neck. Hermione averted her eyes as he wandered into the Common Room, but it was too late; he had already seen her.

Chancing another look, Hermione's eyes met his cold stare. She wanted to look away, but forced herself not to. Her heart raced as what she guessed to be adrenaline rushed through her blood, and she walked purposefully to where he standing, apparently rooted to the spot.

"Harry-" she tried, but he turned away.

"I have to go to class, Hermione."

"Harry, I need to talk to you..." she trailed off as he crossed the room, ignoring her completely. _Now who's behaving like a child?_, she thought bitterly, but stopped herself. Cross as she was with the boy, Harry was going through a lot at the moment.

Sighing, she located her bag, and followed the general throng of her fellow Gryffindors to her next few lessons. Harry kept a deliberate distance, as if she might pounce in the middle of Defense Agains the Dark Arks, and she lost him in the crowd as they made their way to lunch. Approaching the Gryffindor table, she spotted him near the front, wedged in between Seamus and Ron. There was no way she was going to be able to get near him, so instead she, with definite relief, sat down with Ginny and Lavender.

She was in the middle of her bowl of stew, listening with feigned interest to one of Lavender's many anecdotes, when a noise caught her attention. She looked around her, but couldn't find the source. A minute later, however, there was a rush of movement at the Ravenclaw table opposite her, and she looked on with interest as Padma, her body shuddering with sobs, rushed from the table, alone.

Hermione scanned the room for Parvati, but Padma's twin was no where to be seen. Lavender had gone quiet now, as had most of the students, watching Padma running from the Hall, her shoes clicking on the hard floor with each step. Hermione leant forward to see Harry, who should have been following her, pick up his fork, and take a bite of the cake he had set in front of him. Her mouth dropped open. What in Merlin's name was wrong with him?!

Anger swelling again, and feeling a sudden, unexpected pang of sympathy for Padma, Hermione rose to her feet, feeling slightly light headed at the sudden rush, and picked up her bag.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, confused at Hermione's reaction. Having missed the past two days, Hermione didn't know that Padma's breakdowns had become the norm each meal time in recent days.

"I'm going to see if she's alright, since no one else is," Hermione explained, shooting a glare down to Harry's end of the table. Before Ginny could reply, she had taken off after Padma.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione eventually found Padma in a disused classroom, off the corridor to the main Hall. Having peered in through the window, she knocked tentatively on the door. Padma either ignored her, or genuinely didn't hear, but Hermione entered the dusty room anyway.

"Padma?" The girl's head shot up, her eyes red and swollen from her crying. This was the first time she'd been followed, other than the first time, when Harry had shouted at her and stormed off.

"Hermione?" She sounded surprised.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, knowing how stupid a question it was, but unsure of what else she could say. She had never known Padma - or Parvati - very well.

Padma shook her head, then nodded, then dropped her head into her hands. "I don't know," she moaned, the sound muffled by her scarf. Hermione approached her slowly, as if dealing with an injured animal, and dropped to the floor beside her.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. She wanted to be of some practical help, and taking Padma to Madam Pomfrey might not be such a bad thing...

"I don't know what to do," Padma cried, raising her head to meet Hermione's concerned gaze.

Hermione didn't know what to say. "Is there anything I can do...?" she asked pathetically.

"Do you know?" Padma asked, ignoring Hermione's question.

"Know?"

"That I'm...pregnant?"

"Oh," Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes, I did know. Harry..."

"Of course."

"Do you want me to get Harry?"

"Ha," Padma let out a bitter laugh through her tears. "He won't come. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you-"

"He does. You should see the way he looks at me..." Her voice was barely audible.

Hermione regarded Padma. She found it hard to resent the girl. She'd been terrified when she'd found out that she was pregnant, but she'd had Sirius. Padma... She suddenly felt a rush of anger at Harry. He and Padma may not have had an easy time in the beginning of their marriage, and Padma was definitely not perfect, but she didn't deserve this...

"I'm going to talk to Harry," Hermione announced, surprised at the anger in her own voice, and rose to her feet. "Do you want me to help you back to the Ravenclaw Tower?"

Padma shook her head. "I can't stand everyone looking at me. I'll stay here..."

"If you're sure...?"

Padma nodded. "Thanks, Hermione," she added, as Hermione reached the door.

*.*.*.*.*

"Harry James Potter," Hermione stood behind the seated Harry in the Great Hall, fuming. "Get up."

Harry set down his cutlery, and shifted round to face Hermione. "I'm eating."

"OK then," Hermione retorted, "We'll talk here." Harry looked surprised, but was too stubborn to get up. "So, I talked to Padma-" she began, projecting her voice so that the nearest students looked up with interest.

"Fine," Harry snapped, cutting her off and getting up quickly, almost knocking over his goblet. "Merlin, Hermione, give me a minute." He swung his legs around, and gathered his books. Hermione took off down the Hall, confident he'd follow her.

When they reached the closest empty corridor, Hermione spun round to face him. "What in Hades are you doing, Harry? Padma is distraught, she thinks you hate her. She doesn't deserve this!"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Well?" Hermione pushed. "What happened, Harry?"

"We're not meant for each other."

"Oh, cry me a river, Harry," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes. "That's hardly relevant at this point. She is your _wife. _Your _pregnant wife_. She could be your sworn enemy, it doesn't matter. You don't have to _like_ her, you don't even have to _love _her. You just have to be there for her. And your child." Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "You know what?" Hermione asked, "I was planning on apologizing to you for last night. I'm starting to think I don't need to."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. He shifted on the concrete floor. "Where is Padma?" he asked stiffly, trying to maintain an air of disinterest.

"A disused classroom," Hermione counted the doors on the corridor - "Five doors down from here, on the left." Harry nodded stiffly, and walked past Hermione in the direction she pointed. Hermione turned to watch him go, hoping he'd be more patient with Padma than he was being with everyone else.

*.*.*.*.*

When Hermione returned home that evening, she was exhausted. Sirius snuck up behind her as she took off her coat, and covered her eyes with his hands, making her squeal and laugh in surprise.

"Guess who?" he laughed, his breath tickling her ear.

"Hmm, let me guess..." He spun her round and kissed her fervently. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a satin tie, holding it up to show Hermione. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of it, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I think it's time to take you into the library..." he said smoothly, smirking at her in that way only he could, raising her heart beat. He covered her eyes with the tie, and knotted it lightly at the back of her head, before taking her hand in his, and leading her towards the library.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please review! Next chapter up shortly...I apologize for any typos or errors x]**


	25. Chapter 25

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[****_China2009, _****it seems that "shortly" is 1 day later! Who knew?! :p Please keep on reviewing everyone! Risking sounding like a "review whore" here, I've noticed we're getting close to 250 reviews...That'd be a wonderful mark for Chapter 25, don't you think? ^.^ x]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

Hermione allowed Sirius to lead her into the library, her mind racing with each step as she tried to work out what could possibly be in there. She heard the door click as Sirius pushed it open, and tried to hear, smell or feel anything different about the room. By the time Sirius had guided her into what she assumed to be the middle of the room, she still hadn't come to any conclusions.

"I've been working on this for a while," Sirius began, hugging Hermione to him from behind so that she tilted her head back and rested it on his shoulder. "Ginny's been especially helpful - to be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't given it away...I wanted to show you on your birthday, but...Well, we're here now." He lifted his hands and deftly undid the knot of the blindfold.

The sight that met Hermione's eyes was surreal, and as soon as her eyes focused, a smile spread over her face. All around her, off to every direction, hung from pieces of string from the ceiling, were photos. She reached up and pinched the corner of the nearest one. An image of Ginny and herself from before the Yule Ball smiled back at her. She remembered this moment - the photo had been taken by Neville, a few meters away from the top of the staircase.

To its left, there was a photo from all the way back in her First Year - a group photo of the new Gryffindors in front of the Common Room fireplace. This had been taken during their first encounter of Gryffindor Tower, after the feast. Percy had ordered them all into two rows, the tallest at the back, and taken the photo rather impatiently, as far as she remembered. She smiled at the memory. It seemed like a life-time ago...

Sirius watched her fondly, as she made her way around the room, pausing over each individual image. Lacking Hermione's organizational skills, the photos were arranged in no particular order, spread out over the expanse of the whole library. He began to follow her, pausing over some of the images. It had taken a lot of time and secrecy to find the couple of hundred photos, and he hadn't had much time to look closely at any of them.

As Hermione disappeared behind a bookcase, following a trail and lost in the web of photos, an image of Hermione and Harry caught his eye, and he stopped to look more closely. Based on Harry's outfit of red and black, and the canvas of tent in the background, he assumed it had been taken at some point in the TwiWizard Tournament, presumably without their knowledge, as neither was looking at the camera or seemed aware of its presence, capturing such an emotional moment. Hermione had flung her arms around Harry's neck, her chin resting on his shoulder, her eyes screwed shut. She looked intensely worried.

Moving on, Sirius came to a photo of Hermione and Molly from Bill and Fleur's wedding. He blushed slightly at the memories that came flooding back to him. He remembered vividly thinking how beautiful Hermione had looked that night, before the disruptions...She was smiling in the photo, a slight blush on her cheeks from the goblet of red wine she had been sipping. Molly had her arm around her waist and was holding a handkerchief in her other hand, occasionally dabbing her eyes. Even now, Sirius couldn't help but admire Hermione in her red dress, looking so elegant. _She was really is stunning_, he mused. At least he didn't have to feel guilty for thinking of her that way now - they were married.

Hermione now found herself in front of the fireplace, peering up at a black and white photo of herself, Neville, Ginny, Harry, and Luna in the Room of Requirement, during their Dumbledore's Army training. She couldn't remember who had taken the photo, or why, but it seemed she hadn't been in a very good mood at the time. Whilst the others why smiling at the camera, she was watching Harry with a very serious expression, almost frowning. She thought back to that time, and remembered how wary she'd been of Sirius back then. She'd thought he was trying to live vicariously through them, and opposed his ideas at first, especially as she thought Umbridge was sure to find out. How things had changed...

Suddenly remembering Sirius, Hermione glanced around her, but couldn't see him anyway. She set off searching around the book cases, moving slowly so as not to knock too many of the hanging photos, and eventually found him on the other side of the library, between the "R" and "S" sections. He smiled as she approached him, and she shook her head in awe, beaming at him.

"Sirius, I don't know what to say. This is _amazing_." She took his hands in hers, and leant up to kiss him. "Thank you."

"You really like it?" Sirius asked, sounding almost shy.

"I love it - it's wonderful. And worth the wait - this must have taken you forever."

Sirius shrugged. "I wanted to do something special. Something you'd remember."

"I'll definitely remember this..." He smiled at her fondly, and kissed the top of her head. The sweetness of the simple gesture made her smile even more.

"I've put a charm on the string - if you want to leave the photos hanging, the charm will just shorten the lengths of string, so that they won't be in you hair - literally," he winked at her, pleased with his pun, and she giggled.

"I can't bear the thought of moving them - every time I turn a smile I'm smiling. Thank you, again." She reached up and cupped his neck, pulling him down a little to kiss him. The kiss started off as gentle and tender, but a minute in something changed. Sirius twisted and pushed Hermione back up against a bookcase, making her gasp in surprise. She moved her hands into his hair, and massaged his scalp as he ran his hands up her tight-clad legs.

"We can't do this here..." Hermione groaned, her inner-Prefect talking.

"Why not?" Sirius asked, tightening his grip on her waist, and nibbling at her ear, making it very difficult for her to concentrate.

"We're in the library," Hermione moaned, her words almost unintelligible through the noises Sirius was eliciting from her.

"I. Don't. Care," Sirius punctuated, running kisses down Hermione's neck, and she yielded to his touch. "Wrap your legs around my waist," he ordered, his voice husky. Hermione obeyed breathlessly.

*.*.*.*.*

"To you, Mrs Black," Sirius toasted, raising his glass to Hermione over the dinner table. It turned out that Sirius' birthday treats for his wife didn't end with the library, and the house elves had been working all afternoon, transforming the dining room into something of a botanical garden, and the couple were surrounded by beautiful greenery as they ate their starter of creamy tomato soup.

Conversation was easy, sprinkled with flirtation and banter, which never failed to make Hermione blush ever so slightly. It was amazing, she thought, how Sirius could turn her into a quivering mess with just his words.

After they had finished eating the main course, when the house elves had cleared the plates, Sirius reached into his jacket and pulled out a small blue box, which he proceeded to set down in front of Hermione.

"What's this?" she asked, setting down her napkin.

"Your birthday present."

"But - the library...?"

"Was you surprise," Sirius cut in. "This is your present." He reached across the table and pushed the box closer to Hermione, prompting her to pick it up. The box was light, and clearly contained some kind of jewelry. It was the kind of scene that would have leant itself to a proposal...but they were already married.

Hermione carefully unwrapped the white ribbon, and slipped it off. Opening the box, she came face to face with a beautiful golden necklace, intricately crafted. The pendant of the necklace was utterly gorgeous - the letters: "H&S", intertwined, marked the centre piece of the necklace, with a diamond on either side of the lettering. It could easily have crossed the line and become tacky, Hermione thought as she carefully lifted the necklace from the box, but it didn't. It was perfect.

As Hermione was contemplating the necklace, Sirius rose and moved to stand behind her seat. He gently took the piece from her hands and she lifted her hair as he fastened it around her neck. Immediately her hand went to the pendant, and she tilted her head back so that she could see Sirius, who was smiling down at her.

"Thank you, Sirius. I adore it." He leant down to kiss her gently, feeling her smile.

"I'm glad. I'm only sorry I missed your actual birthday."

"I've told you - stop apologizing for that. Besides, there's something to be said for delayed gratification..."

Sirius laughed. "There's a lot to be said for being married to you..."

"Mr Black, you do make me blush," she replied, turning in her seat to face him. "Guess what?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"What?" Sirius asked, leaning in closer to her and smelling her sweet perfume.

"I love you."

*.*.*.*.*

The next couple of days at Hogwarts before the weekend passed quickly. Hermione found she'd fallen behind with a significant amount of work, and as a result spent all of her free time in the library. She ate breakfast early with Sirius, and stayed at Hogwarts beyond dinner time, studying in the library, so that she could eat with Sirius when he got home.

The Ministry hadn't been overly happy about Sirius' request to be put only on low-risk cases, but had granted it nonetheless, on the grounds that he would increase his hours with the Aurors in training. Sirius didn't mind this, and as Hermione was staying in school later and later these days, getting home a couple of hours later didn't bother him.

In her quest to stay firmly at the top of her year, Hermione hadn't seen Harry or Ron since Wednesday, a fact she was undeniably thankful for. She'd heard rumours that Harry had reconciled with Padma, and Ginny informed her that Padma's mid-meal breakdowns hadn't made a return since the time Hermione followed her.

However, by far the most talked about gossip of the moment, which had even reached Hermione's ears in the library, was that Astoria Greengrass was walking around sporting bruising on her lower arms, which had her fellow Slytherins accusing Ron of anything and everything they could come up with. In truth, Hermione was reluctant to become involved. She hoped that the rumours were false, and prayed that Ron wouldn't have stooped so low, but she knew better than anyone that assuming anything was dangerous these days.

*.*.*.*.*

Friday found Sirius in an unusual position - through some kind of office mix-up that he didn't care to enquire about too closely, he had been presented with a rare day off, so he decided to drop by and visit the Lupins, and check up on his goddaughter.

"Moony?" he called as he stepped out of their fireplace, conscience that he always felt like a bit of an intruder when Remus didn't meet him in his office, especially as he wasn't an invited guest. "Tonks?"

"Sirius...?" Tonk's voice could be heard from the kitchen area, and Sirius confirmed it was him and went through.

"Good to see you, Sirius. Remus is just putting Meredith down, if you wanted to see him...?"

"Actually, I just sort of thought I'd pop by, see all of you. It seems a bit rude now, just to barge in here..."

"Not at all," Tonks reassured, ushering him into the living room and gesturing for him to sit down. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Whatever you're having, thanks."

"Padfoot!" Remus emerged from the bottom of the stairs. "I thought I heard your voice. How are things?" he asked, settling himself opposite Sirius in an armchair.

"Good, thank you - with you?"

"We're coping well, I think - do you agree, darling?" he asked Tonks, who had entered with a tray of coffee. She set it down on the low coffee table, and perched on the arm of Remus' chair. He wrapped his arm protectively around her waist.

"I think so too - Meredith is sleeping better, Teddy is learning "mama" and "papa", and he's smiling so much these days..." She stopped as she noticed Sirius' downcast expression. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's not..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I'm happy for you."

"How are Hermione and you coping?" Remus asked gently.

"We're alright...To be honest, we haven't talked about it since the hospital. She hasn't brought it up, and I'm happy not to reopen the wound, as it were."

At that moment, Meredith began crying from upstairs. Both Remus and Tonks rose at once, but Tonks gently pushed Remus back down. "I'll go - excuse me, Sirius."

"I hate to suggest it, but might it be for the best...Hermione can finish her N.E.W.T.s, and children can come later?" Remus suggested, praying this wouldn't offend his friend.

Sirius nodded. "Perhaps. Although Hermione...I don't want to betray any confidences, but based on the last couple of nights...I don't think she's too worried about becoming pregnant again..."

"Without betraying any confidence..." Remus smirked, and Sirius threw him a mock glare.

"It's just that we haven't done a whole lot of _talking_ recently. Maybe that's what comes from spending all day in the Hogwarts library?"

"You wouldn't know!" Remus laughed, pouring himself a cup of steaming coffee. "But seriously, do you think she's alright?"

Sirius sobered, and shrugged slightly. "I've seen her in a much worse state. The only noticeable thing-"

"Other than the excessive sex?" Remus cut in, and Sirius tossed a cushion at him.

"_The only noticeable thing_," he repeated, "Is that she's being rather clingy. I don't mind, but I perhaps I should be more worried about it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Hand-holding, whenever it's remotely practical, sometimes when it's not. Cuddling, again, whenever we're seated on anything that could possibly hold two people. She's gets up when I get up, goes down for breakfast when I do. Leaves for school at the exact moment I leave for work. Part of me loves seeing so much of her-" Remus refrained from throwing in an immature joke - "But, I don't know...what do you think, Moony? Is this normal?"

"Well," Remus began, "Dora was never that 'clingy', but they're very different women. She's probably just worried about you, ever since the incident. And even if she's not showing it, she must still be upset about the baby. And I've heard that Padma Patil is pregnant...?"

"Ah yes." Sirius recalled the incident at the hospital with Harry. "Let's just say, Hermione was not thrilled."

"What happened?" Sirius recounted the tale for Remus, who blew out a long breath. "But they're such good friends..."

"That's what worries me. I asked her about Harry last night, but she says she hasn't seen him since Wednesday. Ron neither. I don't want her to alienate herself. They need to stick together." Remus nodded his agreement.

"But they're only so much you can do...She's a grown woman-"

"Only just."

"But even so. Maybe she's just working hard...?"

"This _is _Hermione we're talking about. But I don't know if it's more than that. Did you hear about Astoria?"

"What about her?" Remus asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"According to Molly, there are rumours that Ron...Well, Astoria is apparently showing off bruising on her arm to her friends. Molly's distraught, as you can imagine, and of course she refuses to believe the rumours, but there's no way she can know for sure..."

"Godric. I do feel for Molly in all this. Ron hasn't exactly..."

"I know. Let's just hope the rumours come to nothing."

"And that Hermione really is just studying hard."

"I'll drink to that."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Just to let you know, I'm planning on finishing this story before we get to Chapter 30! :0 The thought scares me a little, but I think it's best to complete it sooner rather than later. I don't want to drag things out and let it get boring. SO, if there's anything you'd like to see before the end, please let me know! I'm also considering writing a sequel, but I'm not sure yet. Or perhaps OneShots of Sirius and Hermione's relationship (based on this story) in future years...Anyway, suggestions are, as always, welcome! Please review! :) x]**


	26. Chapter 26

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you so much everyone for your reviews and ideas - muchly appreciated! :p Hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry it's short... ^.^ x]**

***Warning: fairly explicit lemon coming up...***

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

Hermione fingered her golden necklace absently, thinking of Sirius. It was the 26th of September, a whole week since her birthday, and that horrible time at St. Mungo's. Sirius hadn't worked a late night since she'd asked him to stop, and she was feeling much less worried about him recently.

She looked up from her position on a sofa in the Common Room as Harry entered through the portrait. He glanced in her direction, and she returned his smile. He should have been at Quidditch practice, she thought, and when he returned a minute later carrying gloves, her theory that he'd forgotten something was confirmed.

Her mind drifted back to last night, when she'd finally found the courage to tell him about her miscarriage. It had been Sirius' doing, really, she mused, readjusting herself on the sofa and setting her book down. She was more than ahead with her work now, and wasn't in the mood to study.

The night before, Sirius had announced that it was high time to show some of their friends the new house, and had invited the Lupins, Weasleys, and Harry round for a small gathering. He had wanted to call it a dinner party, but Hermione had told him firmly that last-minute sandwiches and the Muggle yogurts she'd introduced him to did not count as fine dining. They'd come close to inviting Ron, before remembering that he was still not allowed out of Hogwarts, even for short amounts of time, and Padma had declined the invitation, which hardly came as a surprise.

Harry had been surprisingly mellow from the start of the evening, so much so that Hermione suspected Sirius might have told him something, although he denied it later. Sirius had taken her aside as Sela was serving drinks, and 'suggested' in no uncertain terms that she ought to give him a tour of the house. He'd told her: "If there's going to be reconciliation, first there needs to be truth". Sirius' gems of wisdom didn't come often, but Hermione smiled even now at the sincerity in his eyes as he'd said this.

As it happened, they didn't get further than the library in the tour. The pair of old friends had found it increasingly difficult to keep up small talk, but in the end, when Hermione brought him into the library, and spotted an old photograph of the two of them from their second year, she decided that the void in their relationship had gone on far too long. Sirius was right - they needed to stick together.

Harry had noticed her shift in emotions, and as they sat down it had all come out. The events leading up to their argument at the hospital, why she'd been so upset and angry. Harry was too stunned to say anything at first, and even after that didn't quite know what to say. He apologized for how harsh he'd been, and readily forgave Hermione, who apologized for her shouting and general lack of sympathy for him recently.

When they'd re-entered the party nearly an hour later, arms linked, they were met with relieved looks from the others. Hermione felt like a weight had been lifted - reconciliation had been so much easier than she'd expected. Although she hadn't wanted to admit it, she'd missed Harry more than she thought she would have, and even through her anger, there had been a stronger part of her longing to set things right with him.

She'd yet to see Ron that morning, but had taken Harry's advice not to tell him, at least not now. Harry had said that Ron had been pre-occupied lately, and that he'd barely even been talking to him, and that when asked about the Astoria rumours, he would simply get up and leave. This sounded worrying to Hermione, but still she wanted to maintain hope that there was a simple explanation for the bruising, which even she had to admit didn't look good, having seen it from a distance at breakfast.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione found herself thinking back, again to last night, this time to what had happened after the others had left. She felt colour rising in her cheeks as she thought about it, and was glad the common room was practically empty, with only a lone Second year on the other side of the room, with his back turned away from her.

Tired out from the 'dinner party', and with Hermione emotionally drained after her chat with Harry, the couple had collapsed on the couch in the living room. Arthur had brought them a TV set, having encountered it at work, and found it much to his dislike. Hermione snuggled down, resting on Sirius' chest, both of their sets of legs stretched down the length of the sofa, and switched it on, while Sirius watched in awe as she deftly navigated the channels.

They'd settled on a romantic comedy, as Hermione had recognized the lead actress, but Sirius was far more interested in his wife, squirming as she giggled in his lap, than the film, which he made no effort to understand. It had only been on a few minutes when he started nibbling at her ear, making her squirm even more, arousing him inadvertently. He'd soon moved on to kissing her neck, and it wasn't long before they'd muted the film, and her shirt had found its way to the rug.

It had taken Sirius an even shorter time to flip them over, so that he was trapping Hermione beneath him on the sofa, and a yet shorter time to slip one of his legs between hers and remove her jeans and knickers.

He pinned her arms above her head and captured her mouth in a consuming kiss before she could react, using one hand to fist in her hair. Hermione followed suit, her hands sliding into his dark hair, pulling gently. His hands continued their roaming, sliding up and down her legs, and he smirked as a long moan slipped from her lips. He kissed from her jaw line and moved downwards, impatiently pulling at her bra until one of the straps snapped, and tossing it to the side to join the rest of her clothes.

Hermione could feel him pressing against her lower stomach, so close yet so far through the fabric of his denims, and took her chance to tug down the zipper, prompting Sirius to sit back and remove his remaining clothes, appraising his wife with dark eyes as he did so. She was simply delectable, spread out on his couch beneath him, practically panting as she waited for his mouth to join hers again.

Instead, he decided to take her by surprise, and grabbed her ankles, spreading her legs and dropping his head to her stomach, reveling in her squeals and squirming as he lowered his kisses until she gasped. Her embarrassment and modesty would have stopped his ruthless assault if it hadn't been for his firm hold on her hips, and the intense pleasure which was overwhelming her body.

He continued his ministrations until he was felt Hermione getting close, before stopping, much to her disappointment, and kissing his way back up her body, until he was hovering only inches above her, and she was forced to beg him. He gave her what she wanted willingly.

*.*.*.*.*

Hermione was feeling rather warm when she was snapped out of her daydream by the raucous noises coming from the corridor outside. At first she assumed it was the obnoxious first years, returning from their lesson, but as the noises grew closer she was sure she recognized a couple of the raised voices.

Standing up quickly, she had almost made it to the exit when a scream rang out from the other side of the wall. The second year boy who had been studying in the corner shot her a scared look, and she gestured for him to keep a distance, pulling her wand out and moving the curtain which obscured the exit aside.

Stepping out into the corridor, her wand poised and at the ready, Hermione found herself joining the back of a quickly forming crowd. She put her manners aside for a minutes, and assumed her Prefect demeanor, pushing her way through the dense crowd to find Ron and Astoria to be the source of the commotion.

The couple were stood two meters apart, and both had their wands pointed at the other. Behind Astoria, a group of Slytherins were jeering at Ron, and as Hermione got closer one of Astoria's friends helped her remove her cloak, presumably to give her more flexibility. Those standing behind Ron didn't appear to be offering him much support.

Assessing the situation quickly, but finding it hard to think above the noise, Hermione stepped between the two of them, ignoring the gasps from the younger students in the crowd. "SILENCE!" she shouted, and within a couple of seconds, only one or two whispers from the outer circles of the crowd remained. "What in Godric's name is going on here?"

She turned first to face Astoria head on, who was still pointing her wand at Ron over Hermione's head, but shaking slightly, from fear or adrenaline Hermione had no way of knowing. It was the crazed look in the girl's eyes that scared Hermione most. She muttered a quick spell under her breath, and Astoria's wand flew from her hand, clattering to the ground. Hermione span quickly to make sure Ron wouldn't seize the moment, but he had already lowered his wand.

She turned back to the Slytherin side. "You are to return to the dungeons," she said firmly, projecting her voice so that everyone could hear. The crowd began to dissolve, albeit reluctantly. Shooting Ron a warning look, Hermione took a couple of steps down the corridor, and glanced into the nearest classroom. It was empty. "Astoria, wait in there, please," she commanded, holding the door open. She was relieved when Astoria obeyed.

Returning to the crowd, which was now made up of Gryffindors, and a handful of Hufflepuffs, she ordered the students back to their Common Rooms, after confirming that no one was hurt. "Ron," she stated firmly, and he followed her into the classroom where Astoria was waiting.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Sorry, I know it's way too short, but please leave a review! More to come soon. x]**


	27. Chapter 27

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Please review at the end! Last official Chapter, arrghhhh! :0 x]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

Hermione slammed the door behind her as she watched Ron skulk into the room. Astoria was pacing agitatedly by the opposite wall.

"Firstly," Hermione began, turning on Ron, "Please tell me that McGonagall gave you your wand back and you didn't steal it?"

Ron looked shifty, and Hermione took a deep breath, about to launch into him, when he opened his mouth to explain himself: "It's Ginny's - she's at Quidditch, you know-"

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked at him, throwing her hands up into the air, "Do you WANT to be expelled?!"

"I had to take it," Ron yelled at her. "There, you might as well take it." He flung the wand at Hermione, who caught it, and pocketed it along with the one she'd confiscated from Astoria.

She took a deep breath. There was enough anger in the room between Ron and Astoria to begin with; she didn't need to add to it. "Right," she started, beckoning Astoria over to where she and Ron were standing. She positioned them so that they were standing across from each other, a table separating them. She was beginning to feel rather like McGonagall, disciplining the First Years.

"Tell me what happened." When neither made a move to speak, she tried again. "Ronald, why did you _have _to take Ginny's wand, dare I ask?"

Ron looked up, and glared at Astoria as he answered. "I had to defend myself."

"From what?" Hermione demanded, crossing her arms.

"From me." Hermione turned to Astoria in surprise. It was the first time the girl had spoken. Now she really was confused.

"What?"

Astoria lifted up her sleeve, revealing the dark bruising on her lower arm. "I don't suffer fools gladly..."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione asked, trying to understand the subtext of what Astoria was saying.

To her surprise, Ron followed Astoria's lead, pulling up his own school jumper and white shirt. Hermione gasped as he revealed two, small, dark purple-ish bruises on his stomach and ribs.

"So..." Hermione began, looking backwards and forwards from one to the other, as her mind worked in over-time. "You did this to each other?" They both shrugged, and Hermione's jaw dropped.

"I don't..."

"Hermione!" Hermione turned as Ginny burst into the room in her Quidditch gear, her hair a mess. "I was told there was a fight and you were in here and my wand's missing and what the hell is that on Ron's stomach-?!" she came to a halt, taking a deep breath.

Hermione gave her a dumbfounded look, before remembering her wand and handing it to her. "What-?" Ginny asked, taking the wand with a puzzled expression.

"Your brother had it. Don't ask."

"What's going on?"

"These two have been doing God-knows-what to each other," Hermione explained, before turning back to Ron and Astoria, who were both looking sheepish. "Right," Hermione said to get their attention: "Who started it?" Now, she thought, she really was sounding very much like Molly Weasley.

"Does it matter?" Ron asked after a moment of awkward silence had passed.

"YES!" Both Hermione and Ginny replied in unison, and Ron held his hands up in resignation.

"It's not really a matter of who started it," Astoria cut in. Hermione took a close look at the girl. Only sixteen years old. She barely looked like she had the strength to cast a spell, let alone inflict damage on a grown man. "We were arguing, it was one of _those_ nights, and I didn't want to sleep with _him_," she spat the word, as if referring to her husband was a curse. "He grabbed hold of my arm, and I punched him, and he wouldn't let go, so I kept hitting him, and he kept holding on."

She stopped talking, as if her explanation was adequate, and took in the stunned faces of Hermione and her sister-in-law. "I give as good as I get. I may be a 'little girl', but I'm a Slytherin. I defend myself." Hermione was too shocked to do anything but nod mutely.

"So what happened this afternoon?"

This time it was Ron who answered: "When I saw her earlier, I told her that we needed to meet later. It's been nearly a week and...Well, you know." He blushed a deep red. "Anyway, she wasn't happy about it, and some of thuggish friends overheard and threatened me. So I _borrowed_ Ginny's wand, and it was lucky I did - they followed me back to the Tower."

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. Neither could think of an adequate response.

"So, what now?" Astoria asked, abruptly breaking the silence. "Are you going to report us?"

"Err...Are you going to do..._that_ again?"

Astoria shrugged. "If he grabs hold of my arm like I'm some sort of house-elf again, then yeah, I probably will. If he wants to treat me like an equal, then I'll play nice. Doesn't mean I like him, but..." she trailed off. Hermione stared at her.

"OK then..."

"Well, can I have my wand back?"

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, still registering what had happened. She handed Astoria her wand, and the girl brushed past her and out of the room.

As the door slammed shut a moment later, all three of them jumped.

"Merlin..." Ginny articulated. She turned to Ron. "Is anything broken? Did she really hurt you?"

Ron shrugged, clearly embarrassed, and tugged his shirt back down. "Nah, it's only bruised on the surface. I'm fine. She likes to think she's stronger than she really is."

"I...don't know what to say," Hermione said, still reeling. "Do you want me to report this to McGonagall? What if her friends come after you again? You don't even have your wand..."

"Godric, no Hermione! Look, Astoria knows what's good for her-"

"Don't talk like that, Ron," Ginny snapped. "You're not a thug."

He looked away. "Don't say anything, Hermione. To be honest, if anything else does happen, I'd say we're evenly matched. And Astoria won't send her cronies after me again now. It's fine."

"I-"

"Leave it, Hermione, please."

She shook her head. What could she say? "Okay."

Later in the day, Hermione found Harry and told him what had been going on. He was as shocked as she'd been, but after they'd finally managed to sit Ron down in a quiet corner to talk them, he started to seem more like his old self. As Hermione had discovered, it felt good to release your secret. And after Hermione told him about her time in the hospital, he was more eager to open up in return. It almost felt like a conversation from old times: the 'Golden Trio', reunited...

*.*.*.*.*

When Hermione returned from Hogwarts the next evening, she found Sirius waiting for her in the library. He was pouring himself what looked like whiskey when she snuck up on him from behind, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hello..." she mumbled into the fabric of his shirt, and he twisted in her embrace to face her.

"You're late..." he berated her teasingly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I got distracted..."

"Hmm, what am I going to do with you? Late on our anniversary." He shook his head in mock disappointment, and Hermione's eyes widened. She'd spent the last four hours writing and perfecting her Charms essay, and had completely forgotten their month anniversary.

"And you forgot as well," Sirius teased, reading her mind. He leant in close and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair to whisper in her ear: "Maybe I should punish you...?" he whispered, and his words sent Hermione's heart beat racing. She swallowed. Undeniably, his words excited her.

"Punish me?" she whispered back, meeting his dark gaze. She could feel her body temperature increasing by the minute.

He squeezed her waist, and pulled her in closer to him, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Teach you a lesson..."

She swallowed again, and wriggled involuntarily in his firm hold, unable to take her eyes away from his. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke: "Punish me how?"

Sirius smirked down at her, and grasped her hands. "Come upstairs."

*.*.*.*.*

When she awoke the next morning, Hermione was deliciously sore. Rolling over to face Sirius, she could hardly believe they'd only been married a month. It felt like a lifetime she'd been waking up next to him.

Her thoughts drifted to her friends; for the first time in a long time, all seemed to be well. Ginny and Neville were more than happy together, and she and Ginny was closer than ever. She'd made up with Ron and Harry, and although neither of them were _happy_ with their wives, they were both dealing with their situations as best they could. And they had each other, which, as cheesy as it sounded, Hermione had come to realize was vital.

This time two months ago she'd been single, lonely, and frankly _bored_. All had been calm at Grimmauld Place, but, _what was that saying_? Hermione tried to remember..._ "Drama is the spice of life". _They'd all been through a lot in the past month, but they were still standing. Now she had a husband who she was very much in love with, a goddaughter who was growing bigger by the day, and the promise of a happy (if most-likely drama-filled) year ahead of her.

Hermione reached out and stroked Sirius' cheek gently, waiting for him to wake up. And she smiled.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Eeeeek, I can't believe it! :,( This is the last official chapter! I hope everything has cleared itself up; if there's anything you still desperately want me to include, let me know and I'll try to put it into the ****_Epilogue_****, which will be up this weekend. Please let me know if you enjoyed this, I'm feeling so much pressure to make these last Chapters good! Thanks everyone x]**


	28. Epilogue

**Loving Him Was Red**

*Disclaimer: As always, no copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Wow...I can't believe it. This is it. I have ****_never_**** written so much of one thing in my life before, and I have to say I highly doubt I would have got so far with this story if it hadn't been for all of you, amazing readers, especially to everyone who reviewed along the way and gave me constructive criticism, suggestions and ideas, so THANK YOU so much :D I don't want to sound cheesy but I really mean it. I've had such a good time writing this, and I can easily say it's my favourite story I've got on here, and I'm strangely sad it's over. Well, I guess there's nothing left to say, except enjoy this last chapter, and...review?! :p x]**

**EPILOGUE: **

**One Year On: October 1999**

Nothing was calm in the Black family home. In every corner, something, _something_, was always happening.

It was the second week of October, and Hermione was simultaneously regretful and happy that she'd invited her extended 'family' round for a light lunch. In all honesty, although she's put herself in the position of hostess, her motives for entertaining weren't wholly altruistic; she was rather hoping that with so many potential child-loving babysitters about the place, she might get a chance to slip away for half away and lie down: she couldn't deny it - she was exhausted.

Hermione and Sirius had been over the moon when their first daughter, Bridget, named for Hermione's mother, had been born in late July of that year, but only now were they coming to truly understand how the Lupins had been feeling earlier in the year: babies took a lot of time and effort!

Not only that, but Hermione had been so preoccupied with finishing her N.E.W.T.s at the end of the summer, (and gaining Outstandings in all of them), that she had devoted little time to buying baby supplies, and was now finding that she was forced to take Bridget out on shopping trips to Diagon Alley, which was easier said than done when her daughter (much like Hermione herself in her younger years) loathed shopping.

Even so, Baby Bridget was an absolute joy to her parents, and to Molly Weasley, who had declared herself the grandmother in the first hour after her birth. Even now, Hermione noticed happily, Molly was fussing over the child in the corner of the living room, pointing out the portraits on the wall and tickling her under her chin. Hermione smiled as she picked up empty glasses, setting them on the tray Sela was carrying around after her. She might just get her nap after all.

Moving across the room, she found Arthur deep in discussion with Tonks, and Remus on the floor in front of the fireplace, showing Meredith a Muggle picture book Hermione had given her. The Black's goddaughter was stabbing her finger insistently at the pages, chuckling sweetly as her father put on various funny voices to keep her amused as they read. Hermione had her suspicions that the Lupins were hoping for a third child - she hoped they would, they were wonderful parents.

Hermione found Teddy in the library, his head resting on Ginny's increasingly large baby bump as he slept. Ginny herself certainly _looked_ like she was asleep, although with Neville hovering so close Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if she'd only been pretending: Neville was almost as bad as Sirius when it came to worrying over pregnant women, and Hermione knew that he'd been fussing over Ginny constantly in the past few weeks.

In some ways, she couldn't blame him: Ginny, although nearly 35 weeks pregnant, still insisted on attending Quidditch meets, claiming that the Holyhead Harpies would give her spot on the team to someone else if she wasn't around. Hermione highly doubted this was true, but hoped that her friend knew her own body's limits, and would stop before she ended up giving birth mid-air.

Hermione smiled warmly at Neville as she passed by. She was growing ever more fond of him, especially after he'd announced that he was going to quit his job making medicine for St. Mungo's when the baby was born, so that Ginny could pursue her dream. She knew how much this meant to Ginny, and whatever his faults, it was clear that Neville wasn't exaggerating when he said his wife meant everything to him.

"'Mimi..." She turned at the voice, smiling fondly as Harry approached, carrying his own son. "Mimi..." the boy repeated, gurgling happily as Hermione set down the empty glasses she was holding and took him from Harry to cuddle him. Harry and Padma had been the first among the group to have their children, twin boys, in the early summer. Although they had spent the last year at Hogwarts trying to get along, their differences continued to divide them, and while Harry had bought a flat in London, close to his work at the Ministry, Padma was living near to her parents and family in the country with the children during the week. It was more or less a divorce in Muggle terms, and Hermione was sure if they could have done, they would have split up willingly, but as it was they were coping. Although her heart went out to the divided couple, looking at Harry now, Hermione knew he was happy, in his own way. His twin boys certainly were, and whenever she saw them, she was amazed at how much like Harry they were growing to look, despite the dark hair and eyes characteristic of Padma.

When Hermione had returned Baby Jaimini to Harry, she headed into the dining room, where Ron and Astoria hadn't moved since after lunch. They were seated at opposite sides of the table, Astoria banging her fist on the oak to punctuate her words. In times gone by, Hermione would have been worried about their arguments, but she knew now that their debates were the only way they put up with each other. And, in truth, what had once been arguments between them were now _debates_; the two had found common ground in their hatred of the Ministry of Magic, and were campaigning for the marriage law to be revoked as soon as possible, and now instead of arguing over fairly trivial matters, they would debate politics, and how Wizarding Britain ought to be run.

Hermione hid her smile as she cleared away the plates from the middle of their debating chamber. The air of disdain she'd always felt between the couple wasn't present anymore; it was hard to tell if Ron and Astoria loved each other, but she thought it unlikely that they could _hate_ each other now. The passion in their debates would be non-existent if they truly disliked each other, or so she hoped. Even so, she had her suspicions that the pair wouldn't stick together for long if the rumours were true, and the Ministry really were planning to withdraw the Marriage Law it had put in place over a year ago.

A slow grin spread across Hermione's face as she entered the kitchen; Sirius was standing, leaning against a cupboard, his eyes shut. She gestured to Sela to keep quiet, and silently set down the plates she had been carrying, before tiptoeing over to him, and reaching up on her toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Oh-" he grunted, awakening with a jolt, but smiling as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. "I wasn't sleeping..." he said unconvincingly, and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course not. Don't worry, Molly's got Bridget, so I would think we're covered for the rest of the afternoon, at least. You never know, she might even try to take her home again..."

"That'd be nice..." Sirius mused, before noticing Hermione's mock serious expression. "I didn't mean...just that-"

Her face broke out into a smile: "I'm kidding, Siri, I know what you mean. It would be nice...I feel like I haven't seen you in ages..."

"I'm here right now..."

"You know what I mean," she murmured, reaching her arms up to wrap around his neck, and leaning up to kiss his neck: "I haven't _seen_ you in ages..."

He chuckled, capturing her mouth with his and holding her close, his arms wrapped around her back. "My naughty little wife..." He leant down and kissed her again.

"Oh Merlin! That cannot be hygienic..." The appalled voice of Harry in the doorway broke them apart, and they turned, not as embarrassed as they ought to have been, to face him.

"You can open your eyes now, son," Sirius told him, refraining from laughing at his godson's shocked face.

"Right," Harry almost stuttered. "I came to find you because a letter's come through. The owl just left." Sirius sobered immediately. Owls on a Saturday were rarely good. The three of them made their way through to the living room, where Sela was waiting patiently. She held out the parchment to Sirius as he entered.

Hermione saw Sirius blanch from the corner of her eye, and she tore her eyes away from watching Bridget with Molly, moving to peer over Sirius' shoulder. He was holding the letter very still, making no move to open it. She soon understood why: The Ministry of Magic seal was staring up at them, its bronze and gold colours glinting in the afternoon sun coming in through the windows.

Hermione drew her eyes away, and took a step back. Sirius still made no move to open the letter, frozen on the spot, and now the others in the room had spotted talking and turned to watch him, noticing the letter in his hands.

Since the original letter had come, the Ministry had only sent two letters: the second had been the one which set out the rules of marriage: intimacy required twice a week. The most recent letter had been to congratulate the Blacks on the birth of Bridget.

"Open it, sweetie," Hermione encouraged softly, stepping back up to Sirius' side and wrapping an arm around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. Sirius took a deep breath, and tore open the seal. The room waited with baited breath as he scanned the letter. Hermione couldn't bear to look, although it was easily within her line of vision.

Suddenly, and without warning, Sirius laughed. Hermione's shot up to meet his, and he met her eyes, his face awash with evident relief. He began to read: "The Marriage Law of 1998 will be revoked, as of the year 2000. The Ministry is delighted with the number of births this law has brought about, and-" Sirius stopped reading, and shook his head in disbelief, shock written across his face.

All of a sudden, when it became apparent that Sirius had read all of the important parts of the letter, the room erupted in noise; in the corner, Molly held Bridget high above her head, and spun her around. Harry slumped down in the chair behind him, repeatedly running his hands through his hair as he took in the news. Remus rose to his feet and embraced Tonks, both talking rapidly at once and over each other. Meredith started laughing from the floor, reflecting the mood of the room. Ginny and Neville entered the room, Teddy following at their feet, and Sela bounded over to them to tell them the news.

Sirius turned to Hermione, and they shared an amazed look, before Hermione threw herself into his outstretched arms. Ron and Astoria had won. _They'd_ _won_.

"I can't believe it," she said, more to herself than to anyone else, her voice muffled by Sirius. Pulling back, but still holding her at arm's length, Sirius leaned in to kiss her.

"I _never_ thought they'd do this..." Sirius said as he pulled away, kissing her forehead as he surveyed the room. "Ron and Astoria don't know!" Hermione's eyes widened. The pair who had spent the last year campaigning this were still in the next room, debating politics!

"Ron and Astoria don't know!" Sirius announced to the room, and there was the briefest of pauses before everyone rushed to the door. Nobody wanted to be the last to see their reactions to what was, potentially, going to be the greatest news of their lives.

"Wait for us!" Hermione laughed, and Sirius took her hand, leading her to the door.

Nothing was calm in the Black Household. But, Hermione mused, calm was boring. So although the Black Household was chaos, they were happy. And that was enough.

**[Merlin, I literally can't believe this is over. Once again, a huge THANK YOU for all of your support and reviews etc - every single comment I've received has meant so much to me. I really hope you liked the ending - I wanted to keep it vaguely open, because...DRUM ROLL...I have plans...:p If anyone's interested, I am 99% sure that I shall be writing a sequel: my current working title is undecided: I'm thinking "Begin Again", but that may change...SO if anyone is interested, make sure to follow me! I'm also going to publish a Lucius/OC Marriage Law story with a twist a little later today ("Love is a Ruthless Game"), so please keep a look out for that! Much love ^.^ x]**


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